Nochi ni Unmei
by Cho Tenshi
Summary: What is there after destiny? A different direction. Secrets. Greater love. Rinoa discovers life after Squall. QuistisxRinoaxOC, may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The hours had passed by quickly. It was dead night. Way past closing time. Like it was outside, it was dark inside Balamb Garden. Only a few spots had a light on. All was quiet as everyone was resting peacefully.

Well, almost.

"You leave after breakfast, right?" a girl, who slept in the room next to this, asked. Clad in pajamas riddled with teddy bears with drums and in vests of red and white, she sat by the desk, chair turned to face the blonde-haired lady on the bed by the half-emptied shelf. Her green eyes and fluffy brown hair matched her playful disposition, which showed even on serious talks. Like now.

The beautiful genius in the brown suit nodded. She seemed firm, but her expressive eyes of deep azure could only tell otherwise as she had been staring at the half-emptied shelf which she cleared of important books she brought along with her when she left way back.

The girl looked around the white-walled room before asking again. "Quistis, why did you show up? Not that I don't want to see you or anything. Just --"

"Upon request."

"Request?"

Quistis heaved out a sigh and frowned slightly. "Not so surprisingly, they knew where to find me. Someone came into my door and relayed a message telling me to come here. And you know the rest."

"Hn. They found you?"

Quistis nodded. The air descended like a heavy rock on her shoulders.

The girl switched positions again, as she could not sit still. She stood by the closet and stared at the cieling for a moment, then she observed the wall opposite the closet. She pointed her finger at one corner, then thinking for a moment before tracing upward to the corner above it. Again, she would think for a moment before putting her finger down. Then, she would trace along one side of the room with the same finger until she reached another corner and repeated what she did to the corner before it and so on. She did these while smiling, without losing the childlike, playful trademark she has had since the beginning. This cycle continued until it began to disturb Quistis a little.

"Selphie, what are you doing?" she asked.

The girl, Selphie, shrugged.

"You're not convincing."

Selphie winked at the serious former instructor and started to laugh.

Quistis raised a brow.

"You have been away for two years, four months, and eighteen days, Quistis," Selphie said while turning to wall again, tone hinting a different side of her, yet still smiling. "And you still haven't told us why you left."

Quistis bowed her head a little. She could not deny within herself that she had been gone for quite a while already. Two years. Has she been gone for that long? She had lost count, despite feeling the cross borne on her for thinking of herself for a fraction of a moment. "I was supposed to change my mind," she said. "But after it, I realized my return would be in vain."

Selphie knew what Quistis was talking about. "But it's over now," she simply said. "The Garden can't stop, remember?"

Quistis said nothing. Selphie was right. There was no need to linger about it anymore. Opting to lighten things up to lighten the load a little, she asked, "Selphie, who is this Jinsei person?"

"Jinsei... why do you ask?"

"I heard some people talking about someone by that name in the lounge," Quistis explained. "That person is intriguing. New?"

Selphie's smile returned, and she laughed once again. "Not so. Jinsei is Dr. Kadowaki's niece. She arrived in Balamb shortly after you left. She's part of the eight-man team hired for the engine maintenance of Balamb Garden. But she isn't here right now. She was deployed to Galbadia Garden."

"Why?"

"She's with Irvine there. They will return a few days from now. You'll be back that same day, maybe even before it," Selphie answered playfully and shrugged. She was now knocking on the wall across the closet. Again, she observed.

Quistis turned to Selphie. Aside from being disturbed by the playful girl's careful examination of her room, something else bothered her. Change? A very unlikely change it would be, if so. And somehow, as her brain signaled, Selphie was not telling her everything. She pushed the frame of her glasses back a little, and said, "I still haven't decided, and you haven't answered my question."

Unmindful of her choice of words because of what she was doing, Selphie innocently shot back, "Well, it depends on how you understand it, Miss Trepe. What do you think?"

Quistis sighed in exasperation and firmly placed three of her fingers on her forehead. With someone like Selphie, why does it now seem so hard to argue? It felt as if she were getting rusty. No. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. She did not know. She was not sure. And, unsure, in her terms, was bad. She retreated from the mess in her head and opted to stay quiet for a moment. As if being urged, she turned to the window and gazed at the sky of countless, shining fragments.

A white tail shot across the sky and disappeared to the horizon faster even before the human mind could even begin counting seconds.

"Did you see that?" the black-haired beauty wondered with an outstretched arm pointing toward the obscure heavens lit by stars and the bluish silver moon. Her dark eyes still marveled at the moment which passed by. She had not shown that joy since she started staying in Timber.

The other girl, who was next to her, smiled at the sky and nodded. She was as just as tall but of a different frame. She also had dark hair but did not have those streaks the other girl had. One hand rested on the railing as she stood with the aid of a crutch under her right arm. Something seemed to pierce her right leg but showed no hint of it. Nothing. Just a smile to cover it all up. "Did you wish for anything, Rinoa?" she simply asked.

"For you to stop smiling when your leg hurts?" Rinoa replied, as if jesting, and shook her head. "Jinsei Kadowaki..." She giggled. It has also been a long time when she giggled that way, too.

Jinsei sighed and giggled as well, but she did not look back at Rinoa, for reasons her spy of a mind kept. Then, she paused as she remembered that Rinoa had not giggled like so during her first months in Timber. These months turned into a year. The year gave way to other months. And the other months turned into another year. It seemed to take an eternity to get Rinoa back. But Jinsei was not one to give up so easily. She was as determined as she feared failing anyone.

Two years have passed since Rinoa was sent to Timber. The scare had been over a long time before it, everything being completely different as it was then, and Dr. Kadowaki recommended that she stayed in a different place. But almost all the places on their world will remind her. She had been with Squall in almost all those places.

Irvine, since his return to Galbadia Garden, looked after Rinoa in-between breaks. It was a little hard for Rinoa to share much with someone like Irvine, despite the experiences they had together as a team way back. Only visits done by the doctor on a regular basis helped her a little, but it was not enough to restore her. When Jinsei arrived, as instructed by Dr. Kadowaki, however, things seemed different. Rinoa seemed to respond to her. Rinoa seemed to trust her.

"It sure was pretty," Rinoa commented.

Jinsei nodded again. "You did wait for it to come."

Rinoa nodded. "I wouldn't want to waste it. Thank you, Jinsei..."

Jinsei nodded and stared at the sky filled with stars. Her thoughts began drifting with them. In her gazing, she kept silent. One star caught a big fraction of her attention, and her silence lenghtened one moment after another. Her thoughts were focusing away from where her attention should be on these given situations, but right now, her spirit opted to leave them behind. That star seemed to call her. Her spirit responded to it without further thinking. What was in that distant body that made her turn away? Faintly, her rationale tried asking, but her spirit opposed listening to it.

A short moment, for Rinoa, can span an eternity. She turned to Jinsei. Rinoa had never seen her so quiet. The silence seemed to take Jinsei away from her, and she was starting to hate it as much as she hated Jinsei being so secretive about everything. "Your leg, Jinsei... I know you're not okay," she said, as if cracking the silence to break it completely. Her voice hinted anxiety. She knew it was not just the leg. It had to be something else.

Those words entered Jinsei's head, as if prompting her to snap out of it. She shook her head. "I'm fine. You probably are tired, Rinoa. You have been waiting for that meteor for hours. It's past bedtime."

Jinsei hurt her leg when a miscalculation done by a colleague sent the apparatus, which they were repairing months back, counting down. They were able to run far away from it before it exploded. However, they were not able to run far enough as a sharp debris shot through Jinsei's right leg, supposedly rendering her crippled for the rest of her life. Rinoa managed to restore it. But since she had left her training in Balamb Garden, she could not expose herself as often and extensively, as her body could not stand such exposure too much. The leg slowly made its little recovery, thanks to Rinoa's help, and soon enough, Jinsei was able to return to work. She could not escape the trouble with a bad leg, but if there would be one thing she would be thankful for, her leg made healing another wound faster. The ageing wound, which almost locked Rinoa and the rest of her character into obscurity for the rest of the lifetime. She managed to return the old Rinoa little by little through her leg.

"I'm older than you. Stop treating me like a kid," Rinoa said sternly, gathering her strength to be serious but only managed to playfully nudge Jinsei's shoulder.

"I wasn't referring to you when I said 'past bedtime.' I was referring to myself. We have a another day ahead," Jinsei said smilingly, dark grey eyes reflecting uneasiness because of her leg. Then, she felt a sharp, intense pain pierce her quickly. It was difficult to hide it any longer. It seemed to push into her slowly. Jinsei turned from Rinoa and began to limp back to the room.

Rinoa quickly grabbed the sleeve of Jinsei's checkered top. She knocked the crutch off Jinsei's arm, sending it crashing on the balcony floor. Placing Jinsei's right arm over her shoulder and placing hers around Jinsei's waist, she led the way. The sudden displacement of weight almost knocked her off-balance. Jinsei was undeniably heavy for her size, but she and Rinoa made their way. For some reason, Rinoa felt the need to do something... whatever it meant.

"Rinoa..." was all Jinsei could utter. She felt oddly embarrassed and turned slightly red. It was a good thing Rinoa could not see her. No one has ever done that to her before. She was not used to it. Upon reaching the last few steps, she released herself from Rinoa's grasp and sat on the bed. Seeing Rinoa almost out of breath, Jinsei breathed in to refrain herself. But the funny expression on her face could not deny it. Then, she began to laugh.

Rinoa frowned a little and huffed. "Jinsei," she growled and huffed. All her efforts, and she got a laugh in return. She wanted to stay mad, but she could not. She tried to hold her seriousness, but she could not. She sighed and shrugged. Then, she smiled.

Jinsei stopped laughing and hoisted her injured leg up. She looked back at Rinoa. "I'm heavy, remember?" she said, then mustering sincerity and a little guts. "But anyway, thanks..."

Rinoa sat by Jinsei, darker eyes meeting against worried grey ones, gently, yet intensely. She placed a hand on the injured leg. She shook her head. "Don't worry..." she assured in a calm voice.

--- ---

**Notes:** _"Nochi ni Unmei"_ means _"After Destiny."_ Erm, anyway, if I need improvement or anything, just anything, please tell me. Please bear with me if it will take a long time for me to update it. This is my first time. I'll try to come up with something better soon. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sound of chimes ringing and of wooden soles with dull metal jingling prompted Rinoa to come out of the kitchen. She got up from her seat to wash her hands. Those familiar sounds told her who it was, but she wondered why he had come much earlier. It was almost lunchtime, and Irvine usually comes a minute or two later than that. More often than not, he and Jinsei would arrive together. There was not a hint of Jinsei today. It also left her wondering. She exited through curtains on the left of the kitchen.

Irvine was sitting on the couch facing the door. He was reading something from the table. He did not take off his overcoat and hat. His rifle was kept a safe distance near him. It was the usual. However, he would not sit just like so. He would wait for Rinoa to come out, and he would greet with the usual, "Hey, there, princess!" Then, he would wink and smile before sitting.

The corner of his eye caught a glimpse of Rinoa standing by him. Irvine stood and greeted, tipping his hat a little and winking.

Rinoa smiled, shrugging off the the thought of things being slightly different today.

"Smiling so sweet today, aren't we? Thought I might try something different."

Rinoa giggled. A touch of red showed on her fair cheeks. She noticed a long object wrapped in a cloth with prints of strange characters on it.

"Kadowaki ain't coming home 'til dinnertime, princess," Irvine said, referring to Jinsei. "She needed to modify something, and it might take too long. She told me to go on ahead and asked me to bring this along." He tapped the long object on the table.

Rinoa sighed and bent over to reach for the object. She tried holding it. She managed to lift it from the table but because of its heaviness, she accidentally dropped it on the wooden floor. It almost hit her foot. It was undeniably heavier than it looked from the outside.

"Whoa there!" Irvine warned as he stood to pick it up. He heaved as he did so.

"What IS that?" Rinoa asked.

"Sure beats me," Irvine answered while placing the heavy object beside his rifle. "But it sure is heavy. Keep wondering how Kadowaki can lift it without breaking sweat, considering her size. She'd been lifting this thing all the way to the lobby."

"We'll just put it in the closet until she arrives."

"Will do. Just hope I won't break my back."

Rinoa giggled all the way to the chair near the rack. A long silence followed after a meaningful sigh.

Irvine turned to Rinoa. Smiling, he shook his head. "Princess, princess, princess..." was all he could say.

Rinoa turned to Irvine with a peculiar look. "You arrived early today, Irvine."

"Nothing much to do."

"Really?"

"Yup. Decided to come here early. Too bad Kadowaki ain't here."

Rinoa nodded. Irvine's words seemed to echo in her head. She had to get them off. Diversion. Diversion. She needed one. "Did you see the shooting star last night?" she suddenly asked.

"Yup," Irvine answered with a smile. "I wished for something. Did you?"

Rinoa smiled back.

"Assume you were with Kadowaki?"

Rinoa nodded. Wrong question to divert things. Her head felt like shrinking. And shrinking fast it was.

Irvine laughed.

"What the -- ? Stop it!" Rinoa turned red. To her, that amused laugh seemed to taunt her. Taunting. Was it taunting or was it...?

"Alrighty, I'll stop." Irvine cleared his throat. Yet, the funny expression remained in his face. "Anyway, I saw a big improvement on her leg. What did you do?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Nothing. I was able to do a little something on it, but I guess it will take a long time before she can walk normally."

Irvine nodded. "You and Kadowaki get along well. Noticed that."

Rinoa laughed a little. "I used to hate her."

"Really?" Irvine seemed to tease her again. "Didn't seem to notice."

"I used to think she clung to Dr. Kadowaki for influence and security, but then again," Rinoa shrugged. "I guess I was wrong."

"Imagine that," Irvine remarked. "Well, am glad it all turned out okay. We're needed at Balamb again, princess. Ready to go?"

Balamb. Yes. Rinoa had almost forgotten about Balamb. Necessary. Was it necessary to return? Balamb. Ready. Was she ready? Indeed, she felt she was. But why is it? Why does she feel as if she did not need to? It left her a little confused.

"Princess?"

"Balamb..." she uttered. She never forgot her responsibilities, but somehow, part of her felt like staying behind.

"We gotta go back sometime, now do we?"

Rinoa sighed and agreed. Irvine was right. There was no need to stay in Timber any longer. She had only stayed there to recollect herself completely for what is ahead. She has recollected herself, but somehow...

"Princess, princess," Irvine shook his head. "Ain't no need to tell me. If you wanna get things right, you'll do it. Besides, they're all waiting for us." Irvine gave Rinoa a wink and smile of assurance.

"Yeah, you're right. Selphie must be getting impatient already," Rinoa teased as she smiled back.

Irvine laughed and simply shook his head.

---------------------------

Selphie's eardrum-breaking voice still echoed in her head. The chorus of crashing and clashing metal and concrete, winding and buzzing machinery of blades and rubber, and spinning steel followed and altered afterwards. Quistis' head would have none of it. But as much as she was irritated, the orchestration of carpentry and repair and Selphie's obnoxious vocals continued to play into her head. A broken record. That was what her head was aside from a complete dump of broken thoughts.

"They broke the wall of my room down," she said as she turned to the scenery out the train window. Her spectacles reflected the motion-blurred view, but she saw nothing else but her room being broken down.

"Tilmitt was hinting to you last night," Dr. Kadowaki said, chuckling.

"She was? Well, she didn't tell me. To think she actually --" Quistis stopped, letting a smile escape, then shaking her head.

"Now, you know. Funny you're amused about what could have been a bloody gag."

Quistis sighed in dismay, clearing her throat afterwards. Anyone could have just told her. Instead, she found herself waking up before a wall fragment hit her. Funny, if it were a gag. Not funny, if it were the real thing. But come to think, it did make quite an effective alarm.

"What were they doing, anyway? Selphie told me nothing."

"Part of a little preparation."

"Of what?"

"They told you already." Dr. Kadowaki brought out something from her bag. It was a small notebook of seemingly countless pages.

Quistis frowned. They did not tell her everything, yet she had to answer the call of duty. Secrecy. Had she been gone too long to be deprived of the privilege to know everything? She felt as if everyone in Balamb Garden was playing tricks on her. She felt as if everyone had turned against her. She felt as if her return was the start of a cruel jest.

"How long have you been staying in Dollet, Quistis?" Dr. Kadowaki asked while checking her notes.

"Just about seven months."

"Seven months..." the doctor repeated, tapping her pen on the chair arm. She flipped a page of her notebook without saying another word.

"Where are you headed, Dr. Kadowaki?"

"Timber."

Timber, Quistis thought. Rinoa crossed her mind all of a sudden. Rinoa. Quistis' mind had grown very indecisive. And that name... That name somehow makes it worse.

"When was the last time you've taken yourself around Timber, Quistis?" the doctor asked again.

Quistis thought for a moment. She had not gone around Timber since she arrived in Dollet. From what she recalled, she had only visited Timber during their pursuits.

"I haven't strolled around Timber for a long time now," she answered. "Is there something in Timber I should know?"

"Maybe," came the doctor's reply. Then, she continued browsing her notebook.

Quistis sighed and stood from her seat. She turned to the door nearest her and wondered if a little outdoor breeze will help her clear her mind of her mess as well as the mess the people around seemed to leave her.

**NOTE: **I still think I need improvement. This chapter is actually shorter than the last. Chapter 3, which includes more information on Jinsei, as told by Dr. Kadowaki, is on its way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The clock began to toll from the living room downstairs. Ten in the evening, it read. Yawning, Irvine got on his feet and stretched his arms. It was time to turn in for the night. He dragged out the heavy slab from underneath the couch and approached the door. One by one, he set the locks, then put the slab in place. Again, he yawned. He flipped the first set of switches to turn the lights out and flipped the switch below to turn on the lamp by the door. Then, he passed by the corners with lamps and turned each on. After doing his nighttime routine, he headed the stairs on the left. In his best attempts to prevent the wooden soles of his boots from sounding too loud against the wooden floor and his spurs from clanking, he crept past his room, the guest beds, and Jinsei's, and he headed toward the biggest room at the end of the hall. Quietly, he placed an ear against the wooden green door.

"Is that you out there again?" a voice suddenly shot through the door.

Startled, Irvine stepped from the door, head shaking from side to side. "I was just checking, princess!" he exclaimed.

A giggle. "Everything's fine here, thanks!"

"G'night!"

"G'night, Irvine! Sweet dreams!"

"Sweet dreams, princess," he bade. In a slightly hushed tone, he continued, "… And good luck!"

"I heard that!"

Irvine chuckled and shrugged. Pulling an about face, he casually walked away from the door and marched back into his own room.

Rinoa sighed after hearing those words from Irvine. Why does he always have to be so right? Indeed, she needed more of it as well as a miracle for some reason. She had chances, but she felt that these chances were not enough --- she felt something was still wrong with her.

The bed, where she was seated, began to move. A soft whimper followed.

Slightly startled, Rinoa quickly turned to Jinsei, who was lying next to her on the bed, face left. Jinsei stirred a little, her eyes closing tightly as she frowned. Another whimper entered her ears. Her pulse jump-started.

Rinoa lifted her hand from Jinsei's leg, then landing it on her cheek. A sudden, electrifying sensation tingled through her delicate palm. The warmth from Jinsei's reddish skin travelled through nerves of longing. It was not the first time she did so, but her heart pounded intensely enough to shatter her.

Jinsei stirred again.

Hushing, she stroked Jinsei's head, passing calming waves from her hands to it. The stirring halted. Jinsei's eyes were no longer closed tightly, but they still showed discomfort. The waves, subtle as they appeared to be, consumed most of her body's energy, but Rinoa paid no attention to its complaints.

Each stroke calmed Jinsei, and little by little, it reached to rouse something Rinoa had exerted her best to conceal. That something, she had done her best to put to rest in that thin, invisible shell she had managed to build until it is forgotten. Forgotten? Just one moment, to her, spanned eternity. Suppression. Containment. Control, she invoked. She had to control herself. But, control was never her forte. It was never in her veins to restrain herself. She was a free spirit, a character who opposed anything, which will bind her, confine her, or compel her. Her wings were proof. She was Rinoa Heartily, and Rinoa Heartily will not choose to keep to herself what feels right enough to express. But unlike like the wings, which separated her from the rest of the populace, her spirit will not measure more than any other ideal: freely enclosed. And what was happening now, stressed that fact.

The signs of discomfort finally disappeared. The knot between Jinsei's brows had gone as serenity returned to her face. Her grip on the blanket loosened.

Rinoa shifted her hand, and the emission of waves from it disappeared. Her open palm turned into a closed fist. She was exhausted in and out, but she sighed away. She glanced at Jinsei and lifted her stare after a moment, sighing as she turned to the window. The moon. She remembered something different about it some days ago. When she was younger, she heard something about it from somewhere. Something about… what was that again? She thought about it. She had forgotten, since she was not actually paying attention. The moon seemed to speak to her now, as if lifting something inside her. Rinoa turned to Jinsei once more. Her closed fist slowly turned back into the open palm it had been moments ago. She felt the urge to reach for Jinsei and did so. Her quivering hand touched Jinsei's cheek. Again. Her nerves still felt the same degree of longing and warned her of discontent.

Jinsei heaved and let out a soft, rasped sound, as if caused by something somewhere deep inside her. A subconscious response, perhaps? Rinoa's presence seemed to have penetrated through Jinsei's unconsciousness.

Rinoa closed her eyes as something made its way through her chest to crack the shell open. A voice broke into her restless mind. Jinsei. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. No. But why does it feel so real? Her heart began pouring part of the myriad of sorts she had kept.

Then, a knock.

Rinoa opened her eyes and sighed. Come on, she thought, feeling a little annoyed. She glanced at Jinsei --- she was still asleep. Rinoa had realized what happened that moment but lingered about it no longer. Putting her sentiments aside for a while, she got up to answer the door. As she reached it, she quickly turned the knob and opened.

Dr. Kadowaki.

Rinoa smiled and greeted. Then, she bade the doctor to come in.

Dr. Kadowaki entered and settled on the usual place she would go upon entering Rinoa's room. The sight of her niece on another person's bed caught her eye. She glanced at Rinoa and smiled. "So here was Jinsei all along. I thought she was in her room."

"I ask her to stay here," Rinoa said shyly. "I'm sorry about --"

"No, no, I'm fine with it," Dr. Kadowaki said. "I would be happier seeing her here with you than somewhere else we have no idea about." She held a little worried look on her face for a moment but smiled again. "Jinsei doesn't go too far off, but she seldom tells anyone where she goes, you see."

Rinoa smiled. Dr. Kadowaki was right about that.

"So, how are you now?"

Rinoa turned to the doctor. It was not new for her to be asked that question, but it was rarely asked. She had only been asked once or twice. "I'm fine, thank you," she answered.

The doctor nodded. "That's good to hear," she remarked. She paused for a moment and looked around, glancing at Rinoa a few times. Then, she began to ask again. "Irvine and Jinsei, have they been good since my last visit?"

"They took very good care of me," Rinoa answered. She turned to Jinsei. She felt the urge to touch her again, but she did not. Wary, she had to be. Good. The word echoed in her head. No doubt Jinsei took her responsibilities well. Yet…

"How long has she been asleep?" Dr. Kadowaki asked as she observed Jinsei from her seat.

"Just about two hours ago," Rinoa answered. "Her leg hasn't been doing fine for weeks already. I've been putting her to sleep since…" she stopped to think. There was a little weariness in her voice. But she was smiling.

"Then, she is trouble," Dr. Kadowaki said, as if joking. Her face sneaked out a smile and began to laugh a little.

Rinoa shook her head. "I think it helps. I have been out too long." She smiled back.

Dr. Kadowaki stood from her seat and approached the bed. She bent over to Jinsei and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Is there something wrong?" Rinoa asked.

Dr. Kadowaki shook her head. She lifted her hand from Jinsei's shoulder and stepped back to return to her seat.

Rinoa's eyes ventured about the mattress. Her eyes came across the ring around Jinsei's finger. The ring. Something about it intrigued her. Now, it has also begun to upset her. "Dr. Kadowaki," Rinoa suddenly spoke. "May I ask you something?"

The doctor stopped and turned to Rinoa. "What is it?" she asked.

Rinoa glanced at Jinsei and bowed her head. "Please tell me about Jinsei. Anything."

The doctor smiled. She returned to her seat. A long pause followed as she turned to Jinsei, as if ensuring that she will not hear anything. She turned to Rinoa and asked, "From the beginning?"

Rinoa nodded.

Dr. Kadowaki breathed in and started to talk:

"Jinsei was born Jinsei-chie Kadowaki in Esthar. Father's black hair. Mother's dark grey eyes. Both of her parents were researchers, but her mother stopped working shortly after giving birth to her to raise her properly.

"Naturally gifted and keen, Jinsei was asked to be sent to a special institute for children like her, but her parents disapproved of it. Although being sent there meant well for Jinsei, they feared for her. Instead, they hired personal instructors of different expertees to teach her. Jinsei grew up and spent most of her life in their home/underground laboratory. She barely mingled with other people and hardly knew what they were like. But, Jinsei grew up gentle and kind, intelligent and skilled at almost anything. Her home was enough to sustain her…" The doctor paused, turning to Jinsei for a moment, then continued. "…Until her mother died when she was twelve or thirteen. Jinsei was devastated. Her mother's untimely death made her father realize their, his and her mother's, mistakes in raising her. Her father finally decided to send her to the institute.

"Jinsei spent her crucial and previous years in the institute in her father's hopes that it will straighten their mistakes. There, she excelled and focused on her profession of choice. Self-therapy, activities, and friends helped her cope slowly. And after four years, she earned her professional license. But even if she did slip back into herself and earned more than what she expected, she had always felt the loneliness."

"Is that why she left?" Rinoa asked.

Dr. Kadowaki shook her head. "Just a year and some months before she came to Balamb Garden, her father died. One of the reasons why her father had actually extended Jinsei's stay in the institute season after season was to hide another truth, that he had been terminally ill."

"What happened after that?" Rinoa asked again, eyes now fixed on the ring.

"She left the institute and started from scratch. She tried granting her father's wish of giving her the life he had once considered unfit. Training and experience in the institute helped her. And the rest, we all know."

Rinoa nodded. The rest… Yes, she remembered. Dr. Kadowaki had taken Jinsei in, as her brother requested on his deathbed. Then, the series of complicated events, which included her, followed. She sighed and smiled. Placing hers on top of Jinsei's hand, she gently curled her fingers and gripped Jinsei's hand a little tightly.

The doctor, upon seeing Rinoa's previous gesture, smiled. "I'm pleased to see that you have finally showed me a little of the truth, Rinoa."

Rinoa glanced at Dr. Kadowaki and smiled shyly.

"You have changed Jinsei as well."

Rinoa turned red for a moment. "That wasn't me. I'd been most of a monster to her for a while."

"Well, if you have, she would have told me. But she hasn't."

Rinoa sighed. "Imagine that," were the only words she could pull from her system. Jinsei was supposed to tell Dr. Kadowaki everything, but she did not. She wondered why and even wondered more why the doctor knew Jinsei was not telling everything.

"We are above it, but we keep looking back too much, aren't we?" Dr. Kadowaki asked.

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked back.

"Fate and destiny are two sides of the same coin, Rinoa. In the end, you can only have one."

"Only… have… one…" Rinoa repeated the words haltingly, gripping Jinsei's hand a little tighter. She thought about it but still could not understand. The doctor spoke to her in words her mind could decipher but could not grasp. Destiny… she used to believe in destiny. And fate… To her understanding, both were interchangeable. They were the same. Are they? Rinoa's thoughts lingered about it. "I still don't understand."

Dr. Kadowaki kept silent for a while. This silence seemed to pressure Rinoa a little. Pressure. Stress. Not again. Not again. Her grip tightened a little once more.

"If you understand yourself, perhaps there really is no need for me to explain," Dr. Kadowaki said. "You may choose to deny, but never to yourself."

Rinoa lifted her eyes from the floor. Dr. Kadowaki was right. Her lengthened stare was beginning to bother her neck. Part of her wanted to keep, but most of her wanted otherwise, to soar above limit, like the Rinoa of used-to-be would. Still reluctant, she turned to the doctor, dark eyes filled with a myriad of confined sentiment.

The doctor nodded, smiling slightly with half a chuckle. She breathed in and began with one of her typical questions, "So, where does her majesty wish to begin?"

à--ß

**NOTES: ** Okay, so far, I think this has to be the longest chapter I've done. The introduction itself was pretty long as most of this chapter had its undertones of angst, confusion, and, yes, intrigue, etc. Ironically, only a little information on Jinsei was put to sustain them. Erm, anyway, please feel free to review my fanfic. I would very much appreciate all your comments and suggestions. If I tend to go too slow, please tell me. School has just opened, and I tend to overlook my fanfic duties. _Hontou ni domo arigatou gozaimasu! _(Chapter 4 is on its way.)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Zell took his board from the corner and stepped out of his room. He looked on both sides twice before deciding to take the direction out of the hall. 'Today's the day,' he kept repeating in his head like a chant, as he playfully made his way, the usual air to that of a hyperactive kid high on sugar. His excitement towards today was evident. The smile plastered on his face seemed wide enough to reach his ears.

Selphie shifted positions for the nth time. She looked at the clock up the lobby and then, at Angelo, who had been watching her pace back and forth as he sat at the fifth step of the stairs from the bottom. Angelo whined, as if sensing uneasiness, and placed his head between his paws. He seemed to hint the same as well. Sighing, Selphie went up and patted Angelo smilingly, whispering assurance. Selphie had been waiting for half an hour already. Zell was supposed to meet her, but he still has not shown himself. She was just excited as he is, maybe even more than that for further reasons. She simply thought differently.

"Stand aside!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

Angelo yapped and stood at attention. He began to wag his tail. He followed Zell as the board slowed down and made its way down the stairs.

Selphie looked behind her. It was Zell riding his board towards her direction. She stepped aside, hand on one hip. She tried showing a serious face. It made her look even funnier.

Zell got off his board and lifted it from the floor. He scratched his head and laughed as he noticed the look on Selphie's face.

Selphie gave up and threw her hands in the air before laughing as well. She had nothing else to say, but "You're late."

"Sorry about that, Seph'," Zell said apologetically. "Got all too excited."

Selphie glanced at the board. "You're carrying that with you?"

"They lifted the ban on riding these things around here. Besides, it'd be less tiring from here to Balamb."

"But we're shuttling from here, Zell," Selphie said, giggling.

"Oh! We are?" Zell scratched his head again and shrugged. "I didn't know…" Shuttling, he thought. Now why was it that the word seemed to give him an eerie feeling poking his spine?

Angelo stopped wagging his tail. Down, head between paws, he whimpered. He, too, seemed not to like.

Selphie turned to Angelo and reached for something in one of her pockets. Scooping it into one palm, she gave it to Angelo. Angelo lifted his head and sniffed before taking in the morsel from Selphie's hand. Selphie smiled playfully, and the furry canine stood at attention once more. She turned to jingle the keys while flashing them to Zell. "Well, let's go!"

"Wait! You're driving? Quisty, isn't she ---? Where ---? Hey!" Zell raised his hands while asking and stopping at the same time. His head seemed to bombard him with too much questions that the traffic in his mind congested before he could even begin to ask and receive answers. The thought of Selphie driving frightened him. The last time she did, he thought it was the last time he would ever catch a glimpse of daylight again. Selphie could navigate the Ragnarok, but the Ragnarok and the mobile were two different things run on different environments. He loved speed. Yes, he loved speed, and he loved thrill, but he wouldn't dare consider it with Selphie in a mobile.

"Yeah, I'm driving. " Selphie winked. "Quistis is with Matron at the moment. She's supposed to come with us, but she had to pass."

"You're serious." Zell felt a lump in his throat and swallowed.

"Uh-huh!" Selphie nodded and skipped excitedly. "Come on, let's go!" She dragged Zell and started to run.

"What? Huh? Hey!" Zell stepped to prevent himself from falling to the floor, dropping the board on the process, and ran along in Selphie's pace. "I haven't said anything, yet!" he exclaimed, voice bellowing from all corners of the Garden grounds, while Angelo trailed, barking along as they scurried back up the stairs.

----------

"What was that?" Edea asked as she peeped through the window, viewing the grounds below.

"Zell," Quistis replied. "Selphie must be driving again."

"Really? I thought Cid had that problem fixed."

"He did? I don't think so. Selphie shuttled me all the way to the Garden yesterday. I wouldn't say it was bad, but maybe it would have been much nicer if she would have let me drive."

"Maybe we should introduce a new subject, hire a few new instructors competent in handling it as well."

"Maybe. Just not now, I suppose. We're right in the middle of a season already."

Edea simply nodded.

A loud screech and engine throttle pierced temporary serenity again. It came from the window at the other side of the room.

The two had to stop their conversation. Together, they sighed.

"Well, at least they'll be in town in no time," Quistis remarked. "They're quite late."

"They're late, because…" Edea paused and placed a hand on Quistis' shoulder. "… They had to spend one hour after another to convince someone to come with them…" The tone of her voice seemed to have a very little hint of taunting.

"If they tagged me along, it'd be too crowded."

"Crowd… ed. Crowded." Edea approached the closet by the door. She seemed to float across the room. "Will it be crowded because there are too many people in the mobile… or will it be too crowded because…" She discontinued and opened the closet. "For someone who has hordes of students tailing on her more often than not, such an unlikely duration is two years… " she paused again to think. "… For her not to have gotten used to." She took an object wrapped in velvet and cream cloth.

"They're not hordes. They're swarms of pests." The Trepes. How could Quistis forget about them? Tailing. Spying. Peeping. Invading in ways more disturbing than annoying. Somehow, she missed the Trepes and the petty troubles she had to deal with them, but it was only up to there. She still did not like being tailed around. How could she ever forget that one of them almost discovered what could probably have been the most secret of all her secrets?

"And swarms they are." Edea brought what she had taken from the closet to the table.

"What's that?" Quistis asked, pushing her glasses back. As something about it seemed to interest her, something about it seemed to disturb her.

Edea put the covered object on the side of the table where Quistis sat by. She unveiled it and revealed an artifact Quistis has never seen before. It was a glass sphere with different colors gleaming from different angles. Written inside it was an unfamiliar series of characters. Its aura seemed to surround the room. "SeeD managed to help recover this before the collapse an annex of the ruins underneath Trabia two years ago," Edea said.

Quistis had been told that Squall and the others had been part of the operations, which took place underneath the mountains near Shumi Village a few months after she left. She would have been there to supervise the deployed teams. Perhaps, it would not have gone wrong. Perhaps something else would have happened. Probably, things would have been different. Her sudden departure was at Squall's expense, she believed. Quistis regretted leaving, but it was over now. She had to face them again.

"I called for you because of it," Edea said. "I have no intentions of making you change your decision in taking a different direction, but I was hoping you would consider."

"Consider?" The gleam of the sphere reflected Quistis' glasses.

"I cannot train Rinoa alone, Quistis. I need your help," Edea said briefly. "It is in her that the secrets of this sphere will be uncovered."

"Rinoa?" Quistis frowned as she turned to the sphere. Rinoa. Why? The sphere. Will it lead to another episode similar to that of the past? Were the sphere and Rinoa part of those untold reasons? A ploy. Quistis knew that Edea had devised a way for her to return, and it worked perfectly. Edea knew each one of them well, perhaps even better than their own selves. Now, Quistis is sitting in front of a sphere and being briefed on her first assignment after a while. She sensed the gravity of forthcoming danger, and when she does, very seldom is she proven wrong about it. But topping it, she worried most about Rinoa. Rinoa. An echo or trace of her name being carried by the air alone was enough to rock the stability of her thoughts.

"I know what goes on inside you," Edea suddenly said. "You are confused yourself. You left to escape. But escape is not forever. You still have to face what was left behind here."

Edea was right. Quistis had to face what she had once left behind. But she felt she was not ready. She still felt bothered by the weight of her situation against someone from her past. Someone else she was not supposed to harbor more than simple emotions for. The sea of unspoken words was beginning to lose their steadiness that time. She chose to leave to steady them once more and forget. But even after the steadiness has returned, those harbored emotions have yet to leave her, and the sea of unspoken words still continues to threaten her. Her hesitation was undeniable as her deep azure eyes showed more than uncertainty disguised in the reflection of the multi-colored sphere.

"Quistis, there is still time for you to back out. If you still think you cannot take this assignment, if you still do not want to return, it is your choice."

"What about you, then? You said you couldn't train Rinoa alone."

Edea shook her head. "I cannot, but even so, I will still train her."

Quistis breathed in and closed her eyes for a few seconds. 'Yes or no,' she examined herself. 'Whatever.' She found herself nodding. "In that case, I will help."

----------

_'You're scared…'_

Birds flew along the sky left with a few brushstrokes of white and blue, sprayed with a mess of orange, yellow, and red, splashed with small doses of translucent grey and navy. They crossed the sky in groups, in V-shaped alignment, and then, they would disappear as if the darkening sky had swallowed them. The horizon, still a thin line ahead. The dock. Balamb. The little tip of something familiar over it. The Garden. The vessel was nowhere near enough to view such things. The endless waters. Before nightfall was a mere estimation, never certainty. The vessel had taken off later than the scheduled hour and had a few problems along the way. Delay was the last the crew would expect on the way to Balamb. No guides, checkpoints, nor landmarks. Nothing but water and more water. Danger was a stronger possibility. But even so, the endless blue below was tame enough to assure everyone.

But for Jinsei, it was nothing to be aware of.

The deep waters were like her --- running deep, running without much sound except when the waves splashed along the vessel. Jinsei wandered around the deck. Her leg was fine now, as she could do without the crutch, but she limped a little. Traces of the accident were obvious, but as it was, she seemed not to mind.

Jinsei would turn to the surroundings, which she would gaze upon to free her mind. But regardless, she often looked beyond, where the sky was. The sky, to her, was freedom and prison, keeper and witness to secrets, unwanted twists, and responsibilities, and as her secrets would catch up to her, they would remind her. Their warnings often choked her like the unbreakable alloy band around her neck. And even if she refused to, she had no choice but to listen to them.

The innate gift of knack and intellect, ability and much more beyond it. Mind and soul merged to create what made most of Jinsei, but they could not do anything to change the course meant for her.

'_I'm with you no matter what happens. Wear it until then. Be strong, Jinsei. You taught me to… '_

There went that voice again. She could recall nothing, but there was always the unspeakable agony it would leave her. That, as well as the void she has refused to reach, but she has often felt the need to turn to. The ring crossed her mind again. Promise. Jinsei withdrew her stare from the sky and sighed. She raised her right hand a little, pausing to look at the ring around her finger. Jinsei's eyes seemed to absorb the longing from it to take into her emptier system. She looked to the sky again for a moment before putting her hand down. The sky could not, but it always seemed to lead her somewhere. She was like that figure drowning in colorless fluid inside that ball of glass, turned, shaken, watched as little flakes of white fell on it while it did nothing but immerse itself in the fluid and the flakes of white. But the sky would tell her to feel free to place herself under its limit, even along it. Just never beyond it. Like now. Jinsei's hope would wane continuously as the promise remained lost, broken, and adrift in her memory, but after looking at it, she would hold onto it again. And she would do as the voice told her, understanding and trusting into them as much. As the voice told her to be strong, she would be strong. At the very least, she would try to. The voice and its essence were the only things keeping her going, she believed.

Were they? Really? Just how much? Jinsei never thought about it much until now. She was already feeling something not even the sky nor her mind could. And it was getting stronger. From greater heights, she lowered her vision to the recently mopped deck floor. She sighed to ease the pressure her system felt. Deciding not linger about it any longer, she lifted her head to continue walking. Her eyes chanced upon Rinoa sitting on one of the benches, head down, elbows pressing her lap. Jinsei had left Rinoa sleeping in the cabin a while ago. A while ago meant afternoon. She had gone off longer than she thought. A jolt coming from somewhere within made her heart skip a few beats. Jinsei hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to go.

Rubbing her arms, Rinoa inched her head up to look at the setting darkness. She breathed in and let out a small cloud. Then, she bowed her head once more. She seemed not to care about what was around her, but the air lifted to carry the unspoken. Rinoa passed what was left of the heat on her palms to her bare arms. She breathed in and lifted her head. Just about the time she let out another cloud, something touched her shoulders and covered them. She touched it but did not look at it. Garment. She simply fixed it to cover her completely from the cold, slightly making the air carry a familiar scent impossible for her to recognize. "Jinsei… " she said weakly yet firmly.

Jinsei stopped her tracks. There it went again. Hesitantly, she turned around. Rinoa was already wearing the red and white coat she had given her, but her head still turned to the floor. Jinsei felt the need to go to her like always, but something seemed to prevent her. The specks of warning and hesitation grew rapidly, but she took one step after another until she found herself standing by the bench once more.

Rinoa glanced at Jinsei for a split-second before taking her hand. She pulled Jinsei to stand closely in front of her. Then, she put her arms around Jinsei, tightening the grasp as she lay her head against Jinsei's frame. Her empty, light-deprived eyes closed. She heaved out a sigh, which made its way to the nerves underneath the remaining layers of Jinsei's clothes.

Jinsei swallowed the little dry lump down her throat as she looked upon Rinoa. She could not speak. Something was beginning to break again, but she paid no attention to it. She placed her hand on Rinoa's head to hold her closer. She felt Rinoa's arms grasp her tighter. The lump on her throat formed again, making her swallow with difficulty. Her mind jammed as both inner and outer pressure seized her. Something continued to break, but still she would have none of it.

Rinoa whispered inaudibly.

"Hmm?" Jinsei asked. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing…" Rinoa answered. Her voice was still faint.

"It's too cold out here. And it's getting dark. You should be in---"

Rinoa pressed her head against Jinsei, arms slightly pulling her closer. Her hands clutched Jinsei's clothes.

Jinsei felt her heart stop for a moment. The air grew heavy as it did. But still, she paid no attention, treating it like what the steel band around her neck would do to her whenever the need came. "You're so difficult," she said, laughing a little.

Rinoa released Jinsei and stood from her seat. Taking Jinsei's hand, she approached the railing opposite them. She stared at the ring around Jinsei's finger for a moment. Then, she released Jinsei's hand and turned to the deep blue ahead. She stayed quiet for a while before turning her dark, emptied eyes on Jinsei. "That ring… You never told me about it."

"What's there to tell about it?"

"There IS something to tell about it."

"No, there isn't."

"Then, why are you still wearing it?"

Jinsei stayed quiet for a moment. Her eyes turned to the endless blue. The fragments in her head could not form anything for her to answer. Not even a phrase. Not even a word. It was close to nothing. She simply shook her head despite knowing it was a sorry attempt to convince the fair lady next to her. She prepared for what Rinoa might shoot back at her.

But Rinoa simply laughed a little. "You're funny."

Jinsei stared at Rinoa for a moment. The emptiness in Rinoa's dark eyes had begun to be filled by light. Then, she laughed as well.

Rinoa sighed to stop laughing, obviously attempting to be serious. "No, really. Why?"

Jinsei feigned a smile. She decided to tell the truth. "If I told you I don't remember anything, would you believe me?"

Rinoa turned to Jinsei. The light in her eyes seemed to pierce the dark ashen abyss that windowed Jinsei's broken identity. Silence. A moment filled with a little contemplation. Then, a sigh as Rinoa turned to the sea once more and nodded. "Is there any other way?"

Jinsei felt a little relieved. "Rings were supposed to signify eternity. Worn on you by somebody else, it would signify eternal promise."

Rinoa reached to glance at her necklace. Then, she released it. She frowned a little, bowing her head for a while, then placing one hand back on the railing. "May I see it?" she referred to Jinsei's ring.

Jinsei slipped the ring from her finger and gave it to Rinoa.

Rinoa turned to the sea again. "Do you still remember?" she asked.

"Remember what?"

"It was here." Rinoa lifted the chain a little to show Jinsei the remaining ring hanging on it.

"Here…" Yes, how could she forget? How could she forget the first and last time she had lost her temper because of Rinoa's occasional impulsiveness and showed it? It was here Rinoa decided to put it all to rest. Jinsei nodded, moving images of Griever, Rinoa, and the great sea, playing in her head. She refused to recall it, but there it went and there it showed like an indelible stain.

"I did something to make you mad, but even if you did, I didn't care," Rinoa recalled, unlocking the chain and taking the ring from it in the process. "It was the only way I knew." She took Jinsei's hand. "We can't hold onto it forever," she said as she slipped her ring on the same finger Jinsei wore hers. A perfect fit.

Jinsei looked at the ring and how it fit her. Then, she stared back at Rinoa. She wondered if Rinoa knew anything or if she wanted something from her. Rinoa's eyes showed that intensity again. Jinsei made her mind venture into them, seeing and reading, as her heart skipped a few beats. She hated doing so, but somehow, this time, she felt she had to. Silence. Then, the slight blow in her head. She needed to stop. She glanced at the ocean to refresh herself.

"I thought it would. It just had to," Rinoa suddenly spoke after short silence. She handed the ring back to Jinsei. She smiled.

Jinsei stared at the ring on her palm. _"…Until then," _the voice in her mind echoed. It dawned on her. She clasped the ring and nodded. Then, she turned to the vast waters. She looked at the ring for the last time to gather and put those restless thoughts into it before clasping it with her hardest. She readied, then hurled the ring far beyond reach. Her eyes followed the ring until it disappeared from sight. She turned to Rinoa and bowed her head as she mustered the words to say.

The foghorn suddenly sounded. The wind began to blow towards another direction.

Jinsei turned to that direction as Rinoa stepped near her and did the same. The horizon up ahead revealed Balamb Town's Dock. Finally, Jinsei thought. But somehow, the atmosphere felt strange. The air seemed to warn her.

"Something's wrong," Rinoa said.

Jinsei nodded as she turned to the sky not far from Balamb. The shades of crimson. The fragments in her head seemed to be magneted together by it. No. Blurred images flashed into her head one by one. She reached for her head she knelt. It was hurting. No. Not again.

"Jinsei?" Rinoa lowered to Jinsei. "What is it?" she asked in a worried tone and placed her hands on Jinsei's shoulders.

"D'you guys see that?" a voice asked from behind while the clanking of spurs accompanied the sound of wooden soles which stopped upon nearing them. Irvine.

Jinsei stood. The fragments no longer disturbed her but her head still hurt a little despite coming out empty. She nodded and looked to the sky over Balamb again.

"Well?" Rinoa asked as she turned to Irvine.

----------

"Help is taking so long. We shouldn't be needing any if you didn't drive into this hole," Zell complained as he slightly pounded on one of the rear tires of the mobile, which got stuck into a pothole along the way.

Selphie's eyes simply stared at the red clouds as she stood next to the other rear tire. Angelo, who stood near her, began to bark as it saw the hue of Balamb's sky. The air. It was getting eerier by minute.

"Stop staring, Sephy! We gotta get outta here. We're LATE!" Zell exclaimed, rather irritated, throwing his arms in exasperation. He scratched his head, then turned to Angelo, who was getting more and more restless. What the heck is happening, he wondered. He looked to the sky while next to Selphie. No wonder.

Dust accumulated as the sound of another engine echoed across the silence. Another mobile. Zell turned to its direction and waved his hands to make it stop. And it did.

The mobile stopped a safe distance in front of Zell. The driver seat door opened. Quistis came out and ran to Zell.

"There's trouble," Quistis said firmly. "We need to go to Balamb Town quick."

"I know, but what is it?" Zell asked as he paced by Quistis while approaching the stranded mobile where Selphie and Angelo were. "And Rinoa and Irvine and Jinsei… and Dr. Kadowaki? What about them?"

"We need to take a vessel which will take us underneath that part of the sky. The trouble's anticipated there. Irvine and the others will find a way in case things go wrong," Quistis answered as she snapped Selphie from her thoughts. "Let's go, Selphie!"

"Can't we use the Garden instead?" Zell asked again.

"It might get too dangerous for everyone," Quistis replied as she led Angelo, Zell, and Selphie into the other mobile.

"Uh… why is the sky over there so red?" Selphie asked, still engrossed at the odd hue of the clouds.

"Just get in!" the other two exclaimed. Quistis closed the door and pulled into high gear.

--------

**+NOTE: **Okay, maybe taking these longer breaks is making chapters become too long. Erm, anyway, the next chapter shouldn't take too long… provided that school doesn't tear me away from it beyond regular basis. Please read and review. I still think I need more improvement. I would very much appreciate your comments. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_An unfamiliar creature with two heads. A serpent with unusually purplish brown scales. The first head had a white horn. The other did not have any. But both eyes were as white as snow. It stood higher than imagined. It came out of the water. It appeared after the red clouds circled and drew a hole in the middle. It roared after a ray of light pierced through the deep blue sea. _

The last batch of passengers was taken aboard the White SeeD Ship. Seifer signalled the two White SeeDs at the other side to raise the bridge.

The two White SeeDs nodded. One of them turned her back for a moment and raised her hands to gesture something at the other side. The bridge was slowly raised and taken back into the ship. The pair waved at Seifer and headed off.

Seifer watched the ship turn about a different course and set off. He turned around to head for the Engine Room where Jinsei was. Almost night again, he thought. The ship was beginning to be covered by the darkness. It was still lights out for the ship as it suddenly stopped after the creature appeared.

----------

Zell pounded his fist on the metal flooring of the vessel after a missed shot of fire he had cast earlier. He could not go anywhere near the strange, two-headed serpent as the deep blue was between them.

"Aim harder, Zell," Selphie told him, successfully drawing a couple of spells. She stepped back to concentrate on her next move.

The ice guardian hovered quickly over them, then fading out after demonstrating its ability.

The creature roared.

"You okay, Quisty?" Zell asked.

Quistis nodded. She cursed a little upon seeing the still-minimal effect of the element toward the creature. She picked up her whip, which she had dropped earlier after avoiding the eerie ball of energy the hornless head aimed at her. She concentrated again to find a new strategy.

The horn on the other head began to glow. Black light. A not-too-familiar shrill echoed in the middle of the waters.

Quistis gripped tightly on her whip. Her mind seemed to tell her, to warn her. The creature had come for something. It was looking for something… or someone. Her mind mentioned a name. No. Perhaps it was just tricking her. But no. It has happened before. What if…? Quistis refused to think about it.

A ball of fire sped toward the creature. It reached the hornless head, just as Zell wanted. The flaming sphere burrowed to disappear into its target.

The hornless head roared and formed another eerie force with its mouth. Then, it aimed toward Zell.

Zell rolled to his right. The eerie ball of energy exploded, its light almost blinding him. "Uh… is it just me, or is that thing not getting affected by any of our attacks?" Zell asked, as he looked at the spot the hornless head had hit.

The serpent turned about and started drifting away from them. Its speed. It seemed as if every blink of an eye missed out a great deal of distance it covered.

"It's getting away!" Selphie exclaimed, tucking her weapon.

Zell lifted his head to the creature's direction, quickly spotting something from a great distance. A ship. Could it be? Zell shook his head repeatedly as he pounded on the metal flooring again.

"Rinoa!" Quistis uttered. Her pulse picked up even more speed despite the settling exhaustion in her system. She may be right. Her mind cursed once, twice, a few more times. "We have to go."

"Can this go any faster?" Zell asked. "They're still there with Seifer."

Selphie rotated the valve and lifted it to open the passage. "We'll just have to see."

----------

"Are you sure it'll work now?"

"We'll see." Jinsei adjusted the last bolt. She paused to read the meter, then wiping the trickling fluid down her brow. The eyeglass on her left eye formed mist again; she wiped it off as well. She picked up the two alligator clips next to her and placed the red one on the terminal socket. She looked at the meter --- nothing yet. She placed the black one on the other socket. She looked at the meter again and nodded. She flipped one switch.

The meter began showing a straight line.

Jinsei nodded again and flipped the next two switches.

The meter still showed the same line. A hum followed. Pulsation. Line. The engine blew out a little heat as it throttled. Pulsation continuously showed on the meter for a few more seconds. The engine hummed again. Equally- measured waves began to show.

The lights opened all at once including the one over them.

Jinsei sighed in relief and removed the meter attached on both the emergency apparatus and the main engine.

"Well done, Kadowaki." Seifer nodded, as he stood straight once more. "I wasn't wrong, then."

Jinsei smiled as she took off her gloves and gathered the rest of her tools to put into her knapsack. "The Captain would want to set course now."

"Of course," Seifer said. He suddenly spotted a familiar object on Jinsei's hand. He smiled as he turned to the door leading to the hall. "There's something you have to tell me. When we get to Balamb, find time." Then, he walked out the door.

"Find… time," Jinsei repeated. She did not need to know what it was. She already did. She closed her knapsack and lifted the wrapped object from its place. She readied herself.

A faint voice floated about the air and entered Jinsei's ears.

Jinsei looked around. No one was there.

It whispered again.

Light flashed into Jinsei's mind. Fading, it showed an image, a moving image. Rinoa. She was inside a dark barrier. The barrier drifted while Rinoa continuously struck it. She was drifting into the unseen. There was nothing she could do. The image faded with the light flashing again.

Jinsei shook her head a little. Rinoa, she thought. She needed help. Jinsei quickly lifted her knapsack, but a sudden pierce in her system sent it falling on the floor. Her back. It was hurting. Not again.

The collar around her neck beeped repeatedly as its red light blinked. It began to choke her.

Jinsei unwrapped the object on her hand. The cloth of white and old characters fell gently on her feet, revealing an old sword in its black, wooden casing. Her back threatened; something seemed to push.

The collar emitted a long beep. The light stopped blinking.

Jinsei reached for the collar with her other hand. The light went out, and the beep stopped. She knelt tiredly, eyes closed tightly, sword supporting her as it tipped on the deck floor.

Temporary silence broke as a loud rip and a cry followed.

----------

Half of his ammo had been wasted in attempts to break the barrier. But Irvine would not have it. He raised his hand to cast. Shards were sent flying toward the barrier where an unconscious princess was imprisoned, but they broke into pieces even before they reached its surface. Another sorry attempt. Angered, Irvine closed his hand into a fist.

A ball of greenish-yellow light suddenly darted toward his direction.

Irvine quickly cast a barrier to disperse it. The ball disappeared, but its intensity pushed him back a few feet.

A loud roar echoed.

Irvine looked around. The creature, it came. How? He thought it was impossible.

The creature stopped as it reached a close distance to the ship. Its horn glowed immensely black with highlights of deep red; it seemed to bid the barrier to come to it.

Irvine wasted no more thought. He began to aim.

"Irvine, don't!" Seifer exclaimed as he rushed to Irvine's side.

Irvine did not move an inch and remained aiming.

Seifer grabbed the rifle and put it down.

"What the --- ? You're no boss!" Irvine retorted.

"Do you intend to kill Rinoa?" Seifer asked, blue eyes flaming. "Are you trying to kill Rinoa? Look!" He bade Irvine to turn to the spherical barrier.

The barrier was drifting away from the upper deck. Nothing was between Rinoa and the deep blue sea but that dark glass-like shell. A mistake. They could not even afford making one.

Irvine put down his rifle and frowned.

"We have to do something," Seifer said. "Or else." He drew out his gunblade.

The creature roared, both heads swinging wildly as long necks swayed. It was then something began to form around it. The dark aura from the first head's horn seemed to have included the whole as well. The hornless head let out a silent shrill toward Irvine and Seifer.

Irvine wondered what was going on. He heard nothing, but his eyes told him otherwise. Slowly, his eyes began to feel heavy. His muscles relaxed as his rifle dropped on the floor. He turned to Seifer; he had begun to fall unconscious as well. Irvine tried to hold himself back. He must not fall prey. His eyes turned to Rinoa. No. She was drifting toward the serpent. Irvine mustered his remaining strength and raised his hand. But his vision darkened faster as his eyes held out no longer. He fell on the floor.

Both of them lay unconscious.

The two heads roared in chorus once more. The aura that surrounded the creature grew intensely as its target drew near them. It seemed to rejoice in its lone victory.

Or so it seemed.

Something quickly soared from somewhere below. It was surrounded by a fiery, white and orange light with shadowy hints. It stopped to float in the air for a moment, the light surrounding it fading slightly, revealing the strange being behind the blinding light.

The creature, so drunk with something it seemed not to contain, noticed nothing and continued to sway its necks.

The strange being lit up fiercely once more. It readied as it immersed in light. Then, without warning, it sped toward the inebriated creature. A sharp, spear-like shaped formed as it did so, passing through layers of wasted energy.

The sharp light made its way through the creature's heart. The being withdrew and soared up, leaving a large shard burrowed in the chest; the light surrounding it had faded once more. The glow of the horn on the first head had faded as well. But the being threw one small shard after another until the horn shattered into minuscule pieces, and the two-headed serpent wasted away like dust. The being looked around and came across the unconscious person a few degrees behind. It moved to reach as the barrier disintegrated. Taking her, it carried Rinoa, flying her back to the upper deck.

Rinoa stirred unconsciously, grasping the unfamiliar being as if she knew it so well.

----------

**NOTE:** School, school, school. It is depriving me already… Please read and review. My mind is too tired to say other things. But, thank you for reading. Chapter 6 will be up soon… (crosses fingers)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Jinsei closed her hand; consciousness had begun to return to her head. A familiar scent in the air crossed her senses. She slowly opened her eyes. Suddenly feeling the urge, she got up. She rubbed her face a little with both hands. The scent grew a little stronger as the sleeve of her shirt neared. It reminded her of someone. She examined her sleeves. The shirt from Rinoa, her mind told her. Somehow, Rinoa's scent never left it. Jinsei stretched a little as she reached for the monocle-like contraption on her right. Her back. It hurt. Jinsei also felt a little tightness from her shoulders down. Bandages, she thought as the familiar texture wrapped closely around her skin. Locking the little device behind her left ear, she looked around her. She was in her room in the Garden. Balamb Garden? She recalled nothing about arriving in Balamb. What happened, she thought. Rinoa was first to surface her blank mind. Where is she? Is she all right? Where is everyone? Her head ached a little as questions bombarded her. She dug into her mind for an answer. Nothing. Her mind seemed almost empty as tiny, free-floating fragments drifted about her head, most of them she could not quite catch. She reached for her collar. The switch. She recalled turning it off. She turned it on. The thought of the switch brought her to the inkling it happened again.

The door creaked open. "You're awake," a female voice spoke.

"Good morning, Xu," Jinsei greeted without turning to the door.

The respectably-dressed officer approached the nearest seat. She sat down, fixing her skirt before doing so. "So, how are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Jinsei answered. A hint of sleepiness was in her voice.

"You've been asleep for three days," Xu said.

"Three days?" Jinsei turned to Xu with a strange expression on her face. Three days. It took a little longer this time.

"Zell found you unconscious in the Engine Room of the passenger vessel. He thought you were dead. Your back was bleeding."

Jinsei frowned for a moment. She often woke up with having them after those episodes. She pinched the skin between her eyebrows, closing her eyes for a moment. Not again. Not again, indeed.

"Do you know what happened, Jinsei?"

Jinsei shook her head. "I don't remember anything." She wished she could tell Xu about her back and the collar and everything, but she opted not to. The back of her mind seemed to warn her. "I do know about the two-headed serpent," she said. "I remember seeing it, but after that, nothing else. Can you tell me what happened after that?"

"Zell, Selphie, and Instructor Trepe were deployed to stop it, but eventually, it escaped," Xu replied. "It headed for the ship. Irvine and Seifer told me the same thing as to why it headed there."

"Why?"

Xu paused for a moment. There was a high degree of gravity on her face. "Rinoa," she answered firmly.

"Rinoa…" Jinsei uttered in a soft, low voice. The images, yes, she recalled them. The serpent had been after her.She knew about that. She believed that it had something to do with Rinoa's identity. Not to mention, her past.

"You know everything about Rinoa, right?"

Jinsei nodded.

"Her past?"

"She told me."

Xu nodded. "Then, I guess you're fine with it."

Jinsei looked quizzically at Xu and wondered what she had meant.

"She has watched over you ever since you arrived here," Xu said. She glanced at the black and pale blue shirt Jinsei was wearing. She paused for a while. Then, a smile sneaked on her face. "Rinoa gave that to you, didn't she?"

"The colors are a giveaway," Jinsei said smilingly, looking at one sleeve.

Xu nodded. "Blue is Rinoa's color. She must've thought it might look good on you."

"You don't like it?"

"No. In fact, it does." Xu smiled. "I just thought perhaps it's the reason why she wore it on you."

"She… what?" Jinsei could not quite understand.

"I said she wore it on you," Xu repeated, still smiling. "I meant she changed your clothes."

Jinsei started to turn red. She turned from Xu and bent her head in shame. "Why did you have to say that?" she said embarrassingly.

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Xu asked back. "She only changed your clothes."

Jinsei stared at her blanket. Her cheeks were still a little red. Why did she have to do that, she thought. She ought to have Rinoa explain, but the thought was just as equally funny. Never mind.

"Are you embarrassed?"

Jinsei shook her head.

"Then, why are you so red?" Xu teased, giggling in-between.

"Stop it, Xu!" Jinsei's face turned red once more.

Xu sighed, shaking her head. "You still are young, Jinsei."

"And I suppose you're too old to know the score between you and --- "

A knock interrupted their conversation.

"I'll get it," Xu got up and approached the door. She opened the door and saw the Headmaster's wife. She bade her to come in.

Edea entered as Xu closed the door after her. She turned to Xu and whispered something to her.

Xu nodded. She turned to Jinsei. "I need to prepare for the meeting after lunch, Jinsei. I'll see you later."

"Okay. I'll see you later, too," Jinsei bade.

Xu turned and left by the door.

Edea closed the door after Xu. Then, she turned to Jinsei. "Good morning," she greeted.

Jinsei smiled and greeted back. She could not hold eye contact for long. Something about the Headmaster's wife seemed to agitate her. Much more so, she felt as Edea approached her. Her presence seemed to repel and draw her at the same time. It was not like this before. Jinsei bowed her head again. Her pulse jumped as she felt weight beside her, pushing against her bed.

Edea lifted Jinsei's chin and placed her palm on Jinsei's forehead for a minute.

Jinsei kept her head bowed as Edea moved her hand. The uneasiness reflected in her eyes. Her spirit felt like releasing itself, one thing she has always tried to prevent herself from doing.

"I sense fear," Edea commented.

Jinsei shook her head.

"I told you before to treat me as your own, Jinsei," Edea said, sighing. "You used to be fine with it. Have those years far away changed you?"

Jinsei shook her head again.

"You contain a lot of things, Jinsei," Edea said as she took something out. "I don't know what they are, but I know they exist. That's why you feel uneasy." She bade Jinsei to turn to her.

Jinsei turned to Edea; she had a point. Somehow, what the elder woman had told her, eased her spirit a little. She found no reason to feel restless. She did not.

Edea bade Jinsei to look at her hand. She opened her palm. A greyish feather. She took one of Jinsei's hands and placed the feather on it.

Jinsei looked at the feather. Her spirit seemed to react to it. But she did not know why. Her eyes simply stayed fixed on it as if she were being drawn by it and its mystery. Her broken memories. Do they have anything to do with it? Jinsei wondered as her eyes slightly camouflaged the similarly hued feather.

"Rinoa was holding it when Quistis found her on the deck," Edea said. "Odd that she refused to part with it. I convinced her to lend it to me for a while to show it to you."

Jinsei said nothing. Her eyes simply remained fixed on the object on the palm of her hand.

"Your parents never told you anything, didn't they?"

Jinsei turned to Edea and wondered what she had meant.

Edea stood and walked toward the window covered by curtains, long, dark dress dragging along the carpeted floor.

Jinsei's eyes followed Edea as she moved.

Edea pushed both curtains aside a little to let the light into the slightly dimmed room. The light pierced Jinsei's eyes a little as it made the uniquely-crafted crown on Edea's head shine, but it was nothing to be mindful of. Edea glanced at the view for a second, then beginning to speak once more. "Your mother has passed the remaining responsibility to you, Jinsei," she said. "You may choose to reject it like before, but it has brought you here."

Jinsei clasped her hand slightly. Here, she thought. Yes, here. Something in her head seemed to confirm Edea's words. She had to be here. And she is. But what for, exactly?

"I can help you reverse those mistakes," Edea said, turning to Jinsei. "But in the end, only you will have to decide."

Mistakes. Jinsei recalled nothing about them but knew them. She recalled nothing about their consequences but realized their being wrong since the beginning. She felt so compelled by that remaining responsibility, but then, no matter how complex things become, she will always end up where she should be. She sighed upon reaching her final decision.

---------

'_Don't.'_

The first time Jinsei held her hand was the first time she attempted to touch Jinsei's face. Rinoa felt Jinsei tremble a little then, as if fearing something. She remembered one of the things Dr. Kadowaki had told her. That Jinsei hated affection. She hated affection for reasons she refused to disclose to anyone. Not even to Dr. Kadowaki. Rinoa sighed. The first time was the last. And she only did so when Jinsei was unaware of it, most likely when asleep. Something seemed to draw her to the precocious girl two years her junior. And her contentment pushed limit after limit upon each realization. She refused to think it was stronger than her. No.

"We'll have to go back now, Rinoa. These parts have become dangerous since that attack a few days ago. That'll be all for today."

Rinoa looked over her shoulder. Quistis. She has not spoken to her personally since they arrived. If they would talk, it would always be about something else. Never about the usual. Never about those things. She wondered if Quistis blamed her or blamed herself. There was this little undeniable void in Quistis' eyes. Rinoa looked beyond once more. The spot where the sky turned red and opened had returned to normal. But it has invited something else she had feared. She felt what had happened previously was not the last.

Quistis sat on the space next to Rinoa and looked beyond as well. "It's gone."

Rinoa shook her head. "No, it's not. It's just started."

"Feel all right now?"

"I guess," Rinoa answered.

"Scared?"

Rinoa nodded. "I can't deny I am." She sighed. The seriousness on her face was undeniable. Her dark eyes were windows to oblivion and beyond.

Quistis nodded. "Matron obviously made the right decision at the right time. If she had let you stay in Timber longer, maybe…" She stopped and stared at the rocky ground at her feet.

"Maybe something bad would've happened?" Rinoa guessed. "Maybe. But someone saved me." She smiled a little. Someone saved her, yes. But who? Somehow, she felt she knew. Then, again…

"You said you didn't remember anything."

Rinoa shook her head. "You're right. I don't. But I was holding something when I woke up." The feather. It similarly patterned to that of her immaculately white wings, only, it was tainted with a shadowy hue, like sin. Somehow, that feather reminded her of something. Something familiar. Rinoa refused to part with it, but even she did not know why.

"Where is it now?" Quistis asked.

"With Matron," Rinoa answered. "I lent it to her. Said she was going to show it to Jinsei."

"Jinsei," Quistis echoed. A long pause followed, as she seemed to have sunken deep into her thoughts.

"Something wrong, Quistis?" Rinoa turned to Quistis.

Quistis shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "What was it you said earlier? I mean, about the feather…"

"I said I lent the feather to Matron, so she could show it to Jinsei."

"Why not show it to her yourself?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Rinoa shrugged. "I don't know, Quistis. I don't know."

"Something's stopping you, is that it?"

"I guess."

"What?"

Rinoa said nothing. She knew Quistis had ways of knowing things, and this conversation was one way. Quistis was bound to know what Rinoa was thinking, and she will, if Rinoa would not stop answering her questions.

"Rinoa…" Quistis said after another long pause.

"Hm?" Rinoa turned to Quistis. Make no mistake, she thought. She sensed this was not going to be easy.

"Jinsei… what is she to you?"

The question struck Rinoa intensely that her heart raced the moment Quistis ended it. Jinsei, her mind echoed. Rinoa had earlier realized that she had begun to betray Jinsei by breaking her half of the vow. The moment she had looked into those forlorn eyes of dark grey was the moment she opened herself as well. That question Quistis raised opened it further. Rinoa knew what was going to happen next. "Look, this is silly," she said as stood from her seat and turned around. "Maybe we should go back. The heat's getting into your head." She took one step and another, but just as she was to take another step, she felt a firm grip of leather around her upper arm. She stopped.

Quistis pulled Rinoa to her, making the dark-haired princess turn as she did so. Her eyes met Rinoa's, gentle flames reflecting in them.

Rinoa wanted to say something. The grip around her arm hurt a little, but she did not mind. Quistis. Her eyes. Why, she thought. Why could she not turn from them? She could see right through them. Was she the problem? Was she the reason? Did Quistis leave years ago because of her? The intensity. Her feelings. The myriad of confined sentiment in her system suddenly split into two.

Quistis released her and quickly walked past her. "Let's go," she said sternly.

Rinoa stared at the ground. It took one moment after another for her to realize Quistis had walked away. She turned around; Quistis had already gone quite a distance from her. "Quistis!" she called out, as she tried catching up with her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It dimmed as spikes began to appear from all over. Each would warp from one corner to another, a zigzag of light marking its trail for a split-second before disappearing. The ground began to shake. Waves. There were waves in the air and on the ground. They slowly formed a circle at the sides, carrying some of the spikes as they did so. The light emitted by the spikes and the waves' unseen energy created an aura of different colors, lighting the surroundings. The waves and the spikes approached the center.

Rinoa closed her eyes and raised her arms, quickly forming a little ball of yellowish light, energy blowing trails of air against her as it gathered toward the ball. She positioned her arms to surround it. It grew as it intensified, its aura forming a translucent wall around Rinoa.

The waves accelerated with the spikes flying toward Rinoa as pushed. Quick. Quicker. The shaking ground seemed to vibrate their intensity. They neared. The final inches, they passed.

The wall gleamed. And the spikes crashed one by one, pushing against it with their energy of different colors and the waves supporting them. The wall gleamed again. The first batch of spikes disintegrated all at once. The second batch disintegrated before it hit the wall. So did the third. So did the rest after every batch. But the spikes simply kept coming as the waves pushed them.

The ball slightly depleted. Rinoa's shoulders twitched. The wall weakened as the gleam disappeared and began to blink. She positioned her arms around the ball once more. Suddenly opening her eyes, she slowly clasped the ball. The energy escaped through the gaps between Rinoa's fingers and shot through the weakening wall. The energy had formed into tinier orbs, shooting through the surroundings and colliding against the spikes, disintegrating with them in the process.

But the spikes… they were too many. And the waves seemed to outlast her.

Rinoa slightly staggered on the shaking ground. The amount of energy she had put out, she had overestimated again. She tried to think of a way as she positioned once more. Each amount of energy she would emit would seem to be replaced by a void. And the void seemed to devour her. Rinoa closed her eyes again. Air blew around her feet. The wall strengthened once more.

The outer forces began to attack again.

A blinding flash suddenly surrounded the dimness. And over Rinoa's back spread out her immaculately white wings. The aura around her crawled on all directions, dispelling the darkness as it reduced the spikes and the waves to none.

The environment slowly faded. Revealed was an empty, spacious, well-lit room with cameras and little satellite dish-like components from every corner and what seemed to be a very huge mirror at the wall on the right of Rinoa.

Rinoa staggered as her wings flashed and faded. She slumped on the ground. Her breath, she tried catching.

Edea exited the hidden door by the mirrored wall. She quickly approached Rinoa and knelt by her side. She scooped a white feather she found near Rinoa and touched her back.

Rinoa lifted her head. She smiled at the sorceress, exhaustion hinting as she did so.

"Are you all right?" Edea asked.

Rinoa nodded. Her head hurt a little, so did her back and her shoulders, but nonetheless, she felt fine. She stood up as Edea supported her. She teetered slightly, but she gained balance before the sorceress could even begin to talk.

"That will be all for today, Rinoa," Edea said.

"How did I do?"

"You did fine."

Rinoa feigned a smile. She somewhat sensed that the sorceress was not telling the truth. She got scared. It was the reason her wings appeared. She did it whenever she was afraid. She did it whenever she felt desperate. Edea and Quistis were teaching her to become stronger. And depending on those wings was not the way to it.

"I purposely made you use it," Edea said, referring to that ability Rinoa has just used.

"Quistis told me not to use it often, Matron," Rinoa said. "She said I might --- "

"Depend on it too much?" Edea sighed, head shaking. "She's right, but being a possessor of that ability, you must learn to harness it…"

Rinoa sighed. Harness. She has to harness both acquired and innate. Quistis forbade her to use her ability as an immortal. But Edea wanted her to use it, so as to control it. Her trainers' virtues seem to tear her in the middle.

"Your wings saved this world, Rinoa," Edea said. "That is enough proof of their power. You are afraid to use them, but you end up doing so most of the time. If you cannot stop yourself from using them, you must learn to control and enhance all your abilities."

Control. Enhance. Sharpen. Focus. Quistis' words almost EVERY training day. Not again. One wheel of Rinoa's understanding loosened. The words echoed again. Not again, not again. She seemed to hear a screech in her head. The wheel had come off, rolling away from visibility. No. Rinoa could now hear Quistis' voice preaching in her head. Enough, her mind screamed. "Do I REALLY have to go through all of these things?" she complained.

"You agreed to take on this assignment," Edea answered casually. "You'll have to listen. You can't do this on your own."

"I did, but…" Rinoa played with the tie of her uniform. She wanted to say that she hated being told off too much. She hated too much rules. She hated too much bounds.

"You're not complaining, are you?"

"No," Rinoa answered flatly, yet irritably, still holding the tie as her eyes were fixed on it. "Can't I take on things without being treated like --- "

"A little girl?" Edea broke into a smile. Then, she laughed a little.

Rinoa turned to Edea with a rather annoyed look on her face. "Not funny," she said, pouting. It was first time she saw the sorceress laugh after… when was that again? The thought dawned on her. But still, to her, nothing was funny. She was no longer Rinoa Heartily of seventeen. Four years have passed now. She had a mind of her own. Why do they still treat her like a little girl? She let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's not wrong to act the way you are, Rinoa," Edea remarked. "So as long as you remember everything you must do. So as long as you do everything you can to fulfill these things."

The pout slowly turned into a smile. "Thank you…" Rinoa said.

"But," the sorceress hastily added. "As I've said before, you'll have to listen. You'll have to keep an open mind. And you'll have to be reasonable."

"I have," Rinoa explained. "It's just that… they don't think --- " Rinoa tossed the tie from her hands, exasperated by the thought that most of the people she knew treated her like a little girl, even saying so sometimes.

"Much of you has changed, Rinoa. Perhaps it will take time for them to realize that," Edea continued. "But keep in mind that there are people who have always thought differently…"

Rinoa sighed. Indeed, Edea's every word was right.

"I had Jinsei enlisted in Seifer's special training program under Master Lu," Edea said. "I recommended that she trains on a thrice a week basis."

Master Lu, Rinoa's mind repeated. Master Xing Lu was a short, lanky, bearded, old man, said to have lived alone on an isolated mountain before being hired by the Garden not too long ago to handle combat classes. He also trains Seifer twice a week, after classes have been dismissed. Rinoa had him as a personal tutor for a few months a few years ago. Master Lu was not strict, but he was an ardent advocate of discipline. Rinoa figured Jinsei could handle it, one thing she almost could not do. Jinsei had self-control beyond her ears, as far as she knew.

"I was not so surprised Master Lu knew about Jinsei's heirloom," Edea said, referring to Jinsei's sword. "But I'm afraid that was all he could tell us."

"Jinsei's sword," Rinoa finally spoke. "What did Master Lu say?"

"Jinsei's katana belonged to legendary people called the Haibane-jin," Edea explained. "They were said to have roamed this world long before we did. No one knows how these people looked like, where they lived, how they lived, nor if they still are alive. There are no records. There are no sightings. There are no proofs. But there are some who believe they exist. And Master Lu is one of them."

"Haibane-jin…" Rinoa uttered. "But her mother gave her that sword. Jinsei told me her ancestors have had it a long time ago. How is it possible?"

"Jinsei's mother has secrets," Edea said. "But Jinsei never knew any of them… one of which her body has been restrained from revealing."

Rinoa sighed. Jinsei. Could she be…? No. It was impossible. But… What if…? No. No. Rinoa tried to erase these thoughts from her head. Jinsei. Rinoa could not deny that she, too, had been intrigued by the dark grey-eyed stranger, who came into the picture a few years ago. Jinsei was no longer a stranger to her now, but still, Rinoa felt that she still needed to know her. She wanted to reach her. She wanted to go beyond. But circumstance has constantly prevented her from doing so. And circumstance has made it more complicated now --- tainted was what was once pure and undoubted.

"Rinoa." The sorceress bade Rinoa to turn to her. Taking Rinoa's hands, she placed her own in them. White light escaped the tight gaps between their fingers as it flashed. The sorceress slightly clasped her hand and moved it from Rinoa's palms. She clasped both hands and paused for a moment, allowing the faint light to fade.

Rinoa watched and wondered what Edea was trying to do.

Edea opened her hands the moment the light faded. She brought them closer to Rinoa to reveal what was in them.

Grey. White. The grey feather. And one of hers. Together. Rinoa's spirit stirred a little. The feeling brought to her… it seemed so familiar.

Edea closed her eyes. The feathers floated slightly over her palms. Little tails of energy circled around them, as if forming a ball; they gathered until the feathers were enveloped in them. A ball was formed, and after one intense flash, the glow revealed a little, clear, glass-like sphere. Encased in it, the two feathers. She handed the crystal sphere to Rinoa. "Your spirit knows, Rinoa. If you listen to it, then there is no need to ask."

Rinoa took the small sphere into her hand and gazed at it. It seemed to draw her. It seemed to ease her longing. Longing. Just whom exactly was she longing for? That question left her mind confused, but as far as her inner self knew, it has been answered even before it was asked. But confusion… why does she keep feeling this? Why does she still feel so confused? Only one, she recalled Dr. Kadowaki's words. One. Just one. She can only have one. She knew she was sure. She was. It was clear that destiny had left fate to take her. But why is it that she still felt confused, even more now? She wished she never left Timber. But as an Honorary SeeD Officer who has sworn duty, she had to. Responsibility. It was her responsibility.

"Fate and destiny are two sides of the same coin, Rinoa. Destiny has fallen face down," Edea said. "As fate has opened its hands, still, it cannot assure you of what lies ahead. No one can predict the future. You already know that." She placed a hand on Rinoa's shoulder and fixed her eyes on the sphere.

Rinoa turned to the object in her hand.

"What has been declared bound, shall be bound," Edea said.

Rinoa slightly grasped the petrified sphere. Tomorrow. She still seemed to fear it. What if… what if I go wrong, she asked herself.

The sphere gleamed in Rinoa's hand.

Warmth, Rinoa's hand signaled. The warmth seemed to comfort Rinoa. It seemed to ease her. It seemed to assure her that everything would be all right. It seemed to urge her to rest her qualms into it Rinoa held the sphere against her chest and breathed deep as she closed her eyes, placing her trust into the sphere and quietly asking it to guide her through the obscurity she must face after fallen destiny.


	8. Chapter 8

_'… Just as you requested, I have sent the classifieds you asked for. I hope they will help you in more ways than one. And, well, here you go!  
_

_(Sgd.) Laguna Loire_  
_President of Esthar'_

Edea paused to place the neatly wrapped package from Laguna to one side of her desk. "Thank you for having these delivered safely, Xu," she looked up and said to Xu, who happened to be in front of her.

Xu, whose eyes earlier focused on the glossy flooring of the sorceress' room, stood at attention. "It was my duty to ensure it, Matron," she said. "I only did as told."

Edea nodded.

Xu bowed and pulled an about face as she prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Xu stopped and turned around again.

"I haven't dismissed you yet." Edea gestured Xu to sit.

Xu looked quizzically at the sorceress but decided to follow her. She took one seat of the round table, just as she had been directed.

Edea folded the letter and placed it sneaked it under the unwrapped documents. Then, she stood from her seat.

Even without recognizing the familiar tone of the cross examination, Xu already knew where this would lead to, but she did not know how. She felt so tempted to read those thoughts as much as she believed she was in no position to do it. "I did something wrong, didn't I?" These words escaped her to defend herself from further damage.

Edea shook her head. "It's about Quistis…"

Xu tilted her head. Partly right was her guess.

"… And you."

Xu sighed. Very much right was she.

----------

"Byakko!"

Two tails of energy, black and white, darted oppositely from Jinsei's left shoulder. A strong gust of wind met them in mid-air, circling to combine them to form a majestic white tiger with stripes of black. It descended toward the ground, wind from four main directions sweeping across the ground to surround the guardian of the west.

The guardian roared as it raised its paws. Claw marks of fluorescent formed, the wind shooting to boost them on-target, as they sliced across the air.

The tentacled beast fell dead faster than the blink of an eye, faster than Byakko disintegrated and dissolved with the wind, which carried it back to its summoner.

Jinsei tottered a little as Byakko returned to its space on her shoulder. She felt its presence scorch her skin a little as well as the wind gently blowing around her to comfort. It was nothing to be mindful about, as she has been used to feeling so each time she would call on any of them. She glanced ahead of her --- her opponent had fallen. She encased her katana and turned to Master Lu, who was sitting on a very large rock just a few steps from her.

'_Jinsei.'_

Jinsei tilted her head, reaching for it as the voice echoed within her consciousness. That voice again. It was calling her from a distant point in her fragmented past. Jinsei closed her eyes. A blurred image cleared in her head.

_Room 404-A. Docendo Alki Underground. Dusk._

_A lady in a white with red and black patch staff coat takes a silver band from the table and approaches the olive green and white uniformed student sitting before her --- a younger Jinsei, whose head focused on the floor beneath while sitting quietly. The other lady sighs as she approaches Jinsei to close the space between them. She reaches for Jinsei's face, but Jinsei rejects her. _

'_Dr. Juno --- ' Jinsei says coldly._

'_Ceres,' the lady interrupted, her voice a little stern._

_Jinsei exhales heftily._

_A smile escapes Dr. Ceres Juno's face. She pulls Jinsei to hold her close._

'_I'm sorry,' Jinsei said._

_Ceres releases Jinsei and shakes her head. 'Lift your head a little,' she then asks calmly._

_Jinsei did so, her eyes still avoiding the attractive staff just a few inches before her._

'_It'll hurt for a while,' Ceres says while unfastening the collar to adjust it. 'But once it's set completely, you'll be fine.' She locks the silver collar around Jinsei's neck and places her hand on Jinsei's shoulder for a while. Then, she reaches for the switch to turn the collar on. _

The images faded as a discrete hum followed. Jinsei was left baffled. Ceres… Dr. Juno, she wondered and reached for the band around her neck. Who was Ceres? What was she? If Ceres were part of Docendo Alki, the Research Institute Jinsei became part of, why could she not remember? Her past… could Ceres have…? Jinsei did not know. All she knew was that she barely remembered anything about her past. She tried to shake her thoughts away to hold them off for a while. There was an appropriate time for them… just not now.

The pale-haired master leapt from the rock. He stroked his bearded chin twice as he approached his bewildered student. He cleared his throat to say something. "Fifty-four…" he uttered. He glanced at the oversized gold stopwatch around his neck and swung its chain back and forth before directing it back into the chest pocket of his purple vest. "12:35:40…" he continued and nodded. "You have made much improvement."

"Thank you," Jinsei timidly said and bowed.

Master Lu nodded, then reaching for his taller student's head to pat it. "Han-mitsukai works hard for her shukumei," he said, chuckling, penciled eyes smiling along.

"E… Ehehehehe," Jinsei chuckled shyly. She felt the little embarrassment of being patted on the head like a puppy and, not to mention, being given such a strange name. The master had a soft spot for her, so it seemed.

The two began to walk their way back to the Garden. Both remained quiet as they did so.

Jinsei dug into her thoughts once more: _Han_ --- half. _Mitsukai_ --- angel. _Shukumei_ --- fate. Then, she glanced at the sky, which had turned red again just the other day, not to signal an attack but to warn them of another danger. When? Her anxiety worsened, and her silence could not cover it. She feared that perhaps the next time will not do so kindly… perhaps not even make room for another next time.

"Would you like to ask me something?" the master suddenly asked, as if sensing the depth of Jinsei's thoughts.

"Master," Jinsei started her query. "What is my purpose… really?"

Master Lu stroked his chin, as he stayed silent for a moment. Then, he said, "Caraway's daughter… She is special to you."

Jinsei frowned a little and sighed. She spoke not a word.

Master Lu chuckled.

Jinsei broke into a smile and turned slightly red for a second. "Her highness is not meant for me, Master Lu," she remarked.

"If I ask her the same thing about you," Master Lu shot back half-jokingly. "She will tell me the same thing. If you know her, you know this. And you do know her well."

Jinsei spoke nothing but attested to the old man's words. "Master," she broke her silence. "You still haven't answered my question."

"There is no need," the master said. "It is already there. The only thing left for you to do is awaken from slumber."

"Awaken…" Jinsei wondered. "How?"

Master Lu paused in front of Jinsei. "Unseal yourself, Han-mitsukai," he asked. He reached for something behind him --- a black stick.

Jinsei reluctantly reached for the switch of her collar. She tilted her head and closed her eyes.

Master Lu raised his hand in the air to swing the object in his hand forward. The object gleamed, as it lengthened from its ends. The light slowly faded to reveal a black staff with a small, yellowish glass sphere with an "eye" as a head.

Jinsei's head remained tilted. Although she neither remembered nor knew nothing, she knew of consequence. And what would follow now happened to be one. Silently, she prepared herself.

Master Lu raised the staff. The eye glowed, and a ripple formed around head. The old man stirred the staff a little, whispering words unheard and unspoken.

Jinsei tipped her sword on the soil to support herself as she began to feel the heaviness from her knees. Weight. Her back. Not again.

----------

The glass slipped from the dark-haired princess' hands, crashing into countless, jagged fragments and spilling the purplish fluid across the shiny, white floor of the room, Quistis' and hers.

"Jinsei?" Rinoa uttered. She turned to the window. Her heart… it pulsed intensely. Why? Jinsei. First to come out of her mind was her name. Worry. Anxiety. Unease. Fear. Jinsei… her thoughts echoed. Something was wrong. She turned to the mess she had made, but her mind still remained out of focus.

Quistis suddenly entered the room. She noticed the mess on the floor and frowned. She turned to Rinoa and sighed heavily. She rushed to Rinoa's side and knelt by her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Rinoa exclaimed as she hurried toward the window.

Quistis followed Rinoa. "Rinoa! What is wrong?" She turned Rinoa to her.

Rinoa paused, head tilted toward the purple-splattered floor.

"Tell me. Go on," Quistis said calmly, placing her hands on Rinoa's shoulders.

A cry entered Rinoa's head. That voice. Jinsei. Rinoa looked around, putting the spectacled instructor's hands off her, and began to head toward the door.

Quistis quickly got hold of Rinoa's hand, gripping it tightly. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," she said sternly. She pulled Rinoa to her.

Rinoa forcibly pulled her hand from Quistis' tight grasp, letting out her trademark, tempered tone. She pushed Quistis aside and hurried out the door.

Quistis watched Rinoa hurry out the door. Then, she sighed and turned to the broken fragments. She picked up the broken bottom of the glass, as if to examine it. "Just what are you, Jinsei Kadowaki?" she wondered to herself.

----------

**>> NOTES: **It took me a much longer time to write this chapter, since I'd been busy with a lot of stuff, school, home, _sensei_, the usual student worries. One post in the reviews section asked me which character Rinoa will end up with. _Anou… _(_>> thinks >>_) Let's put it this way: " --- ". Anyway, thanks for the reviews.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Rain continued to pour outside.

Rinoa watched Jinsei, who has been unconscious even before the rain even started, from her seat by Jinsei's work desk. She could hear the sound of the chorus of drops outside and a faint, yet sharp sound coming form within the room. She glanced at Master Lu, who quietly stood a small distance from her while looking through the glass in front of him, and then looked around. The white walls of Jinsei's room --- her mind imagined them falling all together on her. Crazy, she told herself. The princess shook her head as she tried to remove those strange thoughts from her system. She wanted to hear something, anything, other than the rain, other than the sharp humming from Jinsei's collar. To her, these weren't sounds but part of the room, part of the emptiness, and part of the silence. Sighing, she left her the chair to sit beside Jinsei once more.

Jinsei lay on her right. The sheets covered her up to her chest. She has not moved. She has not made a sound. She simply lay still on the bed.

Rinoa gently sat down. She turned to Jinsei. She opened her right hand to reach, but reluctance suddenly struck her that it prompted her to stop. She wanted to, but it prevented her. Jinsei… her heart still responded to the sound of that name. My intentions are true, Rinoa thought. They are. Indeed, they are. But specks of doubt had already begun to contaminate the pureness of those intentions. Quistis. Rinoa regretted looking once more into those icy blue eyes of the intense instructor. Past. History. Rinoa has always known it so, and she feared it. Squall. She knew her love for him back then was pure enough to surpass anything. But why was there guilt? There could only be so much guilt in her that she opted to place her case in a box, to be locked away forever and to be forgotten. It was only an episode she had to deal with, Rinoa so thought. She hoped the years and the changes alongside them would help her. But they have not. And Squall's passing made them even stronger. She was not with anyone anymore, but still, she felt these feelings disturb her.

"I'm sorry," Master Lu spoke, as he stood facing the window, watching the drops trickle along it and collide with the others.

Rinoa slightly lifted the sheets covering Jinsei's bandage-swathed upper body to fix them. She shook her head. "No, it's all right," she said. "It happens."

"I know."

Rinoa turned to Master Lu. "You… know?" she uttered. She was not quite sure what he had meant.

Master Lu nodded, stroking his chin as he lifted his head to gaze at the teary, moonless heavens outside. He frowned for a moment, then exhaling before he spoke. "There is much you have to know about her, Princess. Much, much more."

Rinoa turned to Jinsei. Much more, her mind repeated. True. She needed to know. She held the sheets again to pull them down a little. Jinsei's left shoulder --- the compass-like mark. Black north. Red south. Blue east. White West. The princess had seen it more than once but never asked. She wanted Jinsei to tell her, but until now, she has never heard anything about it. She had always felt Jinsei never told her everything. But even so…

"You trust her still," the master suddenly remarked, breaking the princess' thoughts and then turned around.

"I always have," came a straightforward reply. Rinoa reached for Jinsei's shoulder. The mark suddenly glowed a fiery orange, blue, and white light upon her touch. Stunned, Rinoa quickly withdrew her hand; the light faded out. What, she wondered. She examined her hand as she wondered why it responded to her touch.

The master, seeing this, quietly approached Rinoa. "Go on," he said. "They respond to you."

Rinoa glanced at the master. Then, she lifted her hand and reached for Jinsei's shoulder again. The mark lit, gradually increasing its luminosity, as Rinoa's hand neared it. It seemed to feel her presence. It seemed to call her. Upon her touch, it glowed immensely yet gently. The light it emitted seemed to calm the princess; it seemed to reach her from within. Everything in her untamed mind seemed to calm that moment. Rinoa withdrew her hand and sighed deeply. She closed her eyes as she turned away from Jinsei and put her hand down --- on top of Jinsei's left hand. Rinoa sneaked her fingers to hold on, then feeling something clasped within Jinsei's palm. Jinsei was holding something in her hand. Soft. Silken. Light. Rinoa turned to the joined hands and put Jinsei's palm up. Gently and carefully, she took the foreign object from Jinsei and clasped it. Her heart skipped at the feel of it in her hand. She breathed in and exhaled heavily. Then, she opened her hand. Her heart jumped as the object reflected in her eyes. It could not be. She could not believe it.

A grey feather; similar to what she had found herself holding, what the sorceress had set with one of her white feathers in the crystal sphere.

"Jinsei…" Rinoa uttered. The wounds on Jinsei's back. Could they be…? She refused to believe it, but her inklings seemed to oppose her. She clasped the feather toward her heart. Something seemed to pierce her. Jinsei. Why?

Master Lu nodded and turned to the night sky once more. The rain had finally stopped. "Shukumei…"

What the master had said puzzled Rinoa even more. "I don't --- " she lifted her head to Master Lu --- he was gone.

----------

Seifer placed the hot cup on the desk. Then, he tapped on the wood to snap Quistis from her thoughts.

Quistis, whose head bent against the desk, looked up. Her eyes met the serious face of her former student. She sighed, cursing under her breath. She felt as if deep within, he was mocking her.

"It'll get cold," Seifer said casually and sat down. He pushed the cup toward Quistis.

Quistis took the cup, taking the thin rod in it to stir. The smell of caffeine crept up her nose that it shook the rest of her senses a little.

"You're supposed to be in bed," Seifer said, drinking from his cup.

"Shouldn't I be saying that?"

"Zell and I just got back from the station," Seifer explained. "We were supposed to pick up the new instructors, as Matron and the Headmaster had told us to do. But last minute changes were made from their deployment, so they won't be arriving until further notice."

"Instructors? They hired people for the automotive courses already?"

"Automotive courses?"

Quistis nodded, finally breaking her air of seriousness with a chuckle. "I didn't realize Matron would be that serious," she remarked.

"Bad news: Someone 'rammed' one mobile while on the way out. Good news: It wasn't Selphie," Seifer said in-between sips. Then, he sighed. "Other bad news: That someone happened to go by the name of Rinoa Heartily. I suppose that name might be familiar to you," he continued half-jokingly. Then, he shook his head.

Quistis sighed. She found no reason to laugh about it as she remembered that day. Vividly. Rinoa was very cross with Quistis for making her defeat higher-level monsters in the Old Training Area, where enemies are real and so is the damage, without using magic. Rinoa accomplished her task but threw her temper afterwards. She was fuming. Quite the bad shot it was.

"Haven't you noticed that you'd been too hard on her for the past few weeks?" Seifer asked.

"Hard?" Quistis stared into her half-empty cup. "Define hard."

"'Hard' means 'tough, difficult, or cruel.'"

Quistis gave Seifer the look.

"You said to define it," Seifer shot back, shrugging.

Quistis withdrew her stare and traced the inside of her coffee cup with the rod. "I'm not being cruel. Rinoa's just being too difficult."

"And the difficulty implies being tough?" Seifer asked.

"Then maybe we're both being hard on each other?"

"I'm not arguing with you. If you say so, fine." Seifer crushed his cup and tossed it into the bin across him.

Quistis frowned as she put the cup down and nodded. Silence fell. Quistis delved into Seifer's words. Was she being tough because Rinoa was being difficult? Or was Rinoa trying to be tough because Instructor Trepe was being too difficult? They were friends until a cruel jest played on Quistis changed Rinoa's ways in her eyes. And it had been hard for her to stay friends with the princess. Much and much more now, that she had already admitted to herself. "She's with Jinsei, isn't she?" she suddenly asked.

Seifer nodded.

"You're fine with that?"

"It was over a long time ago," Seifer explained. "Whatever happened between us… just happened."

"I see." Quistis took a sip from the cup, wondering how Seifer could manage to say these things in front of someone. She thought if Seifer ever took Rinoa seriously. And if he did, how did he find his way back after it had been over? She had known Seifer for as far as she could remember, and… Well, at least, that was what she thought she knew. Much has changed, and this fact often escaped her.

"I was supposed to ask you that."

"You wouldn't."

Seifer sighed and turned to the images ahead of him. "I would," he said. "But maybe I'll just save my words and my strength." He stood from his seat and approached the door.

Quistis watched him walk away from him. Seifer was not like that, she thought. Could he have known it? How? Since when?

"Some actions are justifiable without words," Seifer said. "I don't need to ask you." He turned to Quistis. "Honestly, I wouldn't, but there's no harm in trying. Just keep in mind: consequence. You taught me that." He turned to the door again and stepped out of it, sly trademark grin partly hidden from Quistis' view as he did so.

----------

'_The Haibane-jin, or the grey-winged people, were a small tribe said to have lived even before humans. Little was known about them, as they were described as an adaptive people, able to mix with humans without being found out… '_

A little tall. Dark, wavy-haired. Navy-eyed. A high degree of resemblance to Jinsei. A yellowish, sleeveless shirt covered the dressing wrapped around her and her trimmed frame but revealed her shoulders. A blue and black band hung around her neck.

'… _After careful study, a team of archaeologists, historians, and scientists from all over the world have discovered evidence which will prove their existence, and this evidence led them to Trabia…'_

The young lady closed the red book and laid it on the table next to her. The staff identification card on the table spelled her name: SOYOKAZE, Kingen.

Kingen stood from the side of her bed, her taller shadow shrinking as it tailed her toward the window. She stared for a moment. Then, she inched a hand up to touch the glass. The glass seemed to reflect her as the view outside reflected in her eyes. Anxiety roamed freely about the air as she gathered her thoughts into the core of her mind. What will happen next, she wondered. The memories were still clear to her and so were the consequences she foresaw in each of them. Time to straighten out things, she said to herself. She was not to let graver mistakes happen like the last time. Never again.

The door of her room creaked open. Muffled steps sounded against the carpeted floor.

Kingen's hypersensitivity recognized the heaviness of the steps from the carpet. An image of a young woman with russet eyes and long, sandy brown hair formed in her mind. "Ceres," she said before finally turning around.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

'I'm here,' Jinsei told herself. She reached for her left shoulder, faintly grasping it as she closed her eyes. Like it used to after waking up after every bout, it burned. But the sting right now was gentler, yet much warmer than it used to. Jinsei thought it had much to do with remembering what she was supposed to do and returning to the right direction. 'I'm here… because…' Then, she thought for a moment. 'Because…' she attempted again. 'No… I still don't… know.' Jinsei reached her collar and ran through her memories as she slipped aside the cover of the silvery band's micro controls. Just as it was. The original setup, she thought. 'Who… made this again,' Jinsei asked herself. She tried recalling. Blank. Not a hint. She realized she has not retrieved everything yet. 'Stay by her side…' once-forgotten words from her mother spilled from her head. But no further did this phrase go. Nothing else followed it.

Rinoa watched from a distance. She did not know what was going on in Jinsei's head, but she could tell what Jinsei was feeling. Part of her seemed to feel the same. She glanced at the grey feather on her hand. Should I, she thought. She glanced at Jinsei before focusing her eyes on it again. Then, she clutched it close to her chest and sighed, keeping the feather as she stepped toward the light. "Up a little early," she said, guising up the worry she felt toward perplexed young woman.

Jinsei quickly slipped the cover back. She lifted her head and turned to the direction of the voice. Rinoa, she was smiling at her. Jinsei returned the smile and turned back, then tilting her head. She pressed her fingers along her shoulder before finally putting her hand down to hide under the covers. Her back… it seemed to be acting up again.

"Ruff!"

Jinsei turned to Rinoa's direction once again and saw Angelo as he barged through Rinoa.

Startled, Rinoa teetered a little and stepped back against the wall. "An-ge-lo!" she commanded in her strictest tone attempted, hands on hips. She had forgotten that Angelo had come in after she closed the door. She signaled and called Angelo once more, but the dog simply panted and trotted on without a care. Sighing, Rinoa shook her head as the smile returned on her face.

Angelo gleefully trotted toward Jinsei's bed and heeled. He looked at Jinsei for a moment. Then, he whined as if he, too, worried about her.

Jinsei giggled. "Come," she gestured the furry hound to come unto her bed.

Angelo climbed on and rested his head on Jinsei's blanket-covered lap.

Jinsei patted Angelo's head, smiling as she turned to the dog's owner.

Radiant, sweet smile intact, Rinoa approached Jinsei. "You haven't played with him ever since we got back," she said.

"I know."

"Angelo," Rinoa said gently.

Angelo, responding to his mistress' voice, lifted his head and turned to her.

"Wait outside now," Rinoa said, gesturing.

Jinsei patted Angelo as he turned to her and said, "The princess and I need to talk. Maybe some other time?" Then, she smiled and brought her forehead against Angelo's for a short moment.

Angelo obediently went down and looked to his mistress and to Jinsei, whining, before finally turning to exit. The two watched him leave.

"Hungry already?" she asked.

Jinsei shook her head.

"How are you?"

"Fine…" Jinsei paused to swallow as the cool air escaped through fabric and fabric covering her ruptured back. "I guess."

"Well, you should be. You slept through," Rinoa said.

Jinsei sighed, tilting her head. "You really didn't have to," she said. There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice. She thought Rinoa had already done so much for her.

The uneasiness in Jinsei's voice made Rinoa giggle for a split second. She shook her head. "I wanted to," she said smilingly. Yes, she wanted to. She simply wanted to. It was her choice. It was simply her choice. No explanation. No words beyond them. Jinsei did not have to feel that way, but Rinoa quite understood so.

"Why?" Jinsei asked. Why --- she has asked this question more than once, more than twice, more than a few times over. She knew what would happen next, but she never seemed to tire from asking it. She wanted to know. That was just it… or so it seemed.

Rinoa smilingly shook her head again. "Sometimes, if I want to… I just want to. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Jinsei smiled a little. The same, princess' answer, it was always the same one.

"Master Lu was here last night."

Jinsei nodded. She stayed quiet for a while as her mind seemed to receive something from the air and from the princess herself. She felt a little unease run along her veins. "Did he tell you something?" she asked.

Rinoa shook her head again, dark eyes turning from Jinsei. She thought about the feather and the slight hints from the old master. No, he had not told her anything, she felt no need to ask him further. 'Should I,' Rinoa asked herself, cursing this and the rest of her difficult choices from the beginning onward.

"Something wrong, princess?" Jinsei asked. She knew Rinoa was not lying, but something was definitely wrong. The princess' anxiety was evident, and Jinsei could sense strongly that she had much to do with it. She did not want this. No. Not Rinoa. Not the princess. She slowly stretched her hand toward Rinoa but stopped as awareness dawned on her once more.

"The sky will turn red again," Rinoa said, holding her stare at Jinsei for a while. "But with or without it, there are no guarantees. Nobody can predict the future. I've lost, Jinsei… more than once." She revert her focus toward the creased blanket of white. Thoughts of uncertainty made her uneasy that she did her best to avoid them at any cost. But, not this time. She could not.

Jinsei reached for Rinoa again. "What ---" her query was cut short as she felt Rinoa's weight push quickly, forcefully toward her that she was almost knocked off. The grasp. Jinsei felt her heart stop for a second. Then, it jumpstarted, kicking off intensely enough to jolt her. The collar, she thought. It was made to be virtually indestructible as it was to normalize her at all times, but it had failed her. How? Why? Rinoa, her spirit seemed to call out. The princess' arms and the warmth seemed to kill her slowly. Something seemed to tear. Something seemed to break. Something seemed to crash. Something seemed to fall apart. Jinsei wanted to run away now. To break free. To just get away. But she restrained herself. Not that. No. She was here. She was here to stay by her… no matter what. She reached to hold onto the princess. Slowly. Slowly, her arms wrapped around Rinoa. And then, she slightly pulled her close.

"Angel…" Rinoa whispered almost inaudibly, burying her face against Jinsei's shoulder. Jinsei's arms seemed to comfort her a little, but the impending danger in her head would not go away. Rinoa's grasp grew even tighter. Unyielding. Closer. Here, Rinoa wanted Jinsei here. Just here. With her. Just here with her. Just with her here where it was safe. But she knew not even the highest of reason would grant her that wish, as she herself was granted no pardon with purpose.

"Princess…" Jinsei uttered softly as Rinoa's breath played with her nerves a little. Angel, the word echoed in her head. She is Rinoa's angel, what pretty much sums up life's reason for their strange attachment to one another. But to either of them… to Jinsei herself, did it? Jinsei refused to enter Rinoa's thoughts, but she asked herself as she inclined her head against the princess and closed her eyes to listen to the intensity, which slowly drowned her in the pressing silence as it went on, surpassing seconds and minutes and moments. But it was all right. Somehow, part of her wanted to immerse in Rinoa's sentiments as well.

"Jinsei…?" Rinoa spoke softly, shattering the silence.

"Hmm…?"

"Why didn't you tell me anything?" Rinoa released Jinsei from her grasp and moved a few inches away from Jinsei.

"I couldn't," came Jinsei's reply. In her voice and in her eyes was blankness. Jinsei has known this even before. She wanted to say some more, but she held her tongue. No. Not now. Perhaps not yet. Perhaps never.

Rinoa tightened her arms around Jinsei once more. She spoke not a word and buried her face deeper against Jinsei's frame. The anxiety seemed to ease as she felt Jinsei's arm take her in.

"Smile for me, please," Jinsei pleaded, firming her grasp a little.

The words slipped into her head, prompting the princess to release herself from grasp. She could not bring herself to do so, but she looked deep into Jinsei's eyes as she reached for her. The quivering of her hand was evident as the thought of rejection slightly bothered her.

But Jinsei did not. The warmth of Rinoa's hand roused the nerves on her cheek as her heart kicked off once more. Her walls were breaking again. Rinoa's eyes seemed to look deep into her as they expressed the sentiments Rinoa long contained. No. Jinsei tried to bring herself together. But she could not. She simply could not resist.

Rinoa closed her eyes as she began inch closer.

Jinsei closed hers.

And, time on both worlds slowly began to come to a stop.

Then, a knock.

Jinsei was first to snap from her thoughts. She opened her eyes and turned to the door as sense pumped itself back into her head.

"I'll get it," Rinoa said, sighing, rather irritated. She got up and approached the door to open it.

Quistis. Her arms were crossed as her face carried a stern look. A very stern one, indeed.

Rinoa, surprised, was tongue-tied as her mind went blank for a while. Quistis. Blood rushed her veins. It was time to go.

"I knew I'd find you here," Quistis said.

Rinoa sighed as she turned to Jinsei, who looked across the room. She sensed something in the air, which seemed to come from her. She turned to Quistis again. "In a minute," she said.

Quistis nodded, the sternness on her face becoming more evident.

Rinoa quickly went to Jinsei's side. "I have to go," she said.

Jinsei turned to Rinoa and nodded. She said nothing but smiled back.

"Will you be working later?"

Jinsei nodded again.

"Then, I'll see you?"

Jinsei smiled.

Rinoa returned the smile. "Okay, then." She turned and headed to the door.

Jinsei no longer watched Rinoa head out. Something heavy in her chest simply did not want her to. The door creaked and clicked closed, prompting her to turn to it. The hypersensitivity of her ears still heard voices, Rinoa's and Quistis', and footsteps approaching the end of the hall. She still understood what she could hear until they faded out. She simply shook her head. 'I can't ask,' she told herself. She turned to the window, the sky telling her what would lie on the day ahead.

----------

**NOTES: **Fluff Fluff Fluff Fluff… I should lay out on the fluff. Really. (School's out for a while. A really good sign, if you ask me.)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

'"… _She will rise from a foreign race… On her shoulders will rest one salvation after another."_

'_Whenever I recall some of the lines in my favorite story, I always wind up asking myself if Mother knew of what was to happen to me later in life. Before going to bed when I was little, she would ask which story I wanted her to tell me. The story of the angelic princess was my favorite. I often asked her that. And she would deliver it beautifully, even if there was sadness in her eyes whenever she did… _

'_The story I had grown attached to was only part of my own. The angelic princess was a big fraction of the reasons why I existed. But out of fear, I defied a course made for me. I followed a path that was not meant for me to take. And it has cost me. I may be happy with my life now, but my poor Jinsei… I thought the mark had disappeared. Now, what was once mine is now borne by my own. Perhaps this is the consequence to my disobedience…_

'_Could this be how Mother felt? Maybe. Maybe much stronger than that. The duty was mine. Now, it is Jinsei's. Should I tell her the story just as my mother did? Should I prepare her just as so? Will she blame me? Will she turn from her fate just as I did? …'_

The Headmaster turned to the next page --- blank. He turned to the next and the next after it --- still blank. 'Empty pages,' Headmaster Cid said to himself. He was still far from the end of Katsugu Anzen's diary, and he was told that the diary had been filled from cover to cover.

"If you see the blank pages, don't mind them."

Headmaster Cid nodded and closed the diary, locking and tossing it back before the President of Esthar. "How did you meet, Laguna?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Laguna answered, sighing.

"I'm up for one," the Headmaster teased.

Laguna chuckled.

"With the rest of the world bearing witness to our experiences, long stories never seemed as they used to," Headmaster Cid remarked and laughed along. Sighing as he stopped, he cleared his throat. "Come to think, you never told us about Professor Katsugu," he said, referring to Anzen.

"It… You see… How do I put it…? " Laguna fumbled as he began to explain. "Well, you see… I promised Anzen I wouldn't tell anyone… at least until the right time comes."

"So, you think this is the right time?"

Laguna nodded.

Headmaster Cid tilted his head and paused for a moment to think. The President of Esthar was not alone to think this was so; the headmaster thought of it the same way. However, knowing about another race, a winged, human-like race of immortals, which blended among his own, he began to question why they had to do so. Dr. Kadowaki's niece has had the blood running in her, but the doctor herself spoke not a word about it. Not even now. Why? Headmaster Cid doubted Dr. Kadowaki knew nothing about it. A secret? A string of secrets? If so, Dr. Kadowaki's actions were understandable. But he had to get her to talk. He felt she held some of the answers documents could not lead to.

"Rinoa… how is she?" Laguna suddenly asked. "Is she preparing?"

Headmaster Cid nodded. "Edea has told her already, that her assignment is no longer an assignment, but… something else. And other than that, she's been told all she needed to know at his point."

"At… this point…" Laguna stroked his chin and raised a brow.

"Things aren't supposed to be rushed, now, are they?"

"You're right," Laguna said. "About Jinsei?"

"Edea suggested that Rinoa should figure it out on her own," Headmaster Cid explained. "Since she knows better, why not?"

Laguna brought his elbows on the table, joining his hands and pressing his face against them. His expressive eyes reflected the journal, the gravity in them, evident.

"You don't seem pleased about it," Headmaster Cid remarked. "Is there something wrong?" He has not seen Laguna that serious since as far as he could remember. What could it be?

"I need to see both of them personally," The President of Esthar simply said, sighing and easing on his seat again. The usual expression on his face returned. "Well, I'm sure I will after the festivities end. But speaking of them," he began to ask. "Is there ---"

----------

Jinsei watched the line before the cafeteria's counter shorten by a couple before looking into her mug. She stirred a little, melting white pieces swirling and dissolving in a whirlpool of dark brown reflecting on her eyeglass, while the second hand of the timepiece around her left wrist ticked past eight. Exactly ten seconds of dwelling --- finally, she shook her head.

Zell dropped his jaw.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Xu asked with a slight hint of disbelief.

Jinsei lifted her head. "'No' means 'not yes'?" she answered nonchalantly, a silly smile expression sneaking on her face.

Zell's jaw dropped lower.

Side-glancing, Xu cupped Zell's chin to push his jaw back and sighed. "Nothing? None at all?"

Jinsei shook her head again. The smell of chocolate and the call of digestion prompted her to lift the mug. Xu's questions did not seem to affect her impulses, but they seemed to hit her within. Something? She has not asked herself about it. It simply never occurred to her. Why? Why not? The warmth she had taken in finally reached its destination, and it made her wonder even more. It could have been as simple as that, but it was not.

"Why not?" Zell asked.

And there it went. Jinsei shrugged. 'Why not', indeed.

"But Rinoa's important to you, isn't she?" Xu asked before taking her tea.

Jinsei looked into her mug. They were no longer there, but white surfaced over what was once dark. Her feelings. To her, she did not know what they are, but they seemed so similar with the white morsels she had dissolved in her cup: seemingly pure and sweet, somewhat vulnerable; floating in the dark, bitter sea. Yet, they have relieved the bitterness and darkness of life. They may seem to have gone. Changed. Perhaps, vanished. But they never have.

"I take that as a 'yes'?" Xu said.

Seven words made a question. To answer it requires one word. But Jinsei simply took a sip from her mug.

Zell put down his glass. "You know," he said. "It's pretty obvious."

Xu nodded.

"We have our own responsibilities, Xu, Zell," Jinsei explained briefly. "Her highness has an important role to take on."

"Can't deny you're right," Zell agreed. "I've known Rinoa for years. She keeps saying she's herself…" Zell paused and inhaled. "But I don't think so."

"Rinoa will say or do as she pleases, regardless," Xu remarked. "What'd happened once upon a time may have changed her, but that free spirit remains intact."

"Hey!" someone suddenly shouted from behind Zell.

Zell turned his head while the two ladies lifted their heads. It was Selphie, standing a distance from where Xu, Jinsei, and he were sitting. He waved back and watched as she approached their direction.

"I think she's finally done," Jinsei said.

"Ah," Xu nodded and took a sip from her cup.

"Coffee break," Selphie remarked childishly and smiled at the three. Then, she sat beside Zell.

"Joining us today?" Zell asked.

Selphie shook her head. "I took my break earlier with Seifer and Irvy," she said.

"Where are they?" Xu asked.

"I don't know where exactly Seifer is," Selphie answered. "But I left Irvy in the lounge. He fell asleep while waiting for me to finish."

"You're not done, yet?" Zell asked.

"We're done for today," Selphie answered. "Just a little more and everything's all set."

"I wonder how you got Seifer to cooperate," Zell said. "He's too difficult."

"Right," Xu agreed.

"I…" Selphie rolled her eyes. "… sorta convinced him." She winked.

"Not bad," Zell remarked. "Not bad at all."

"How'd you do it?" Xu asked.

Selphie shrugged. "Well, he just… I don't know. He just did."

Jinsei tilted her head and wondered in her silence. She could not tell as to how the playful lady did it, but Selphie's expressive, emerald eyes seemed to tell her something. Her mind made its path into Selphie's own flow of thought. Then, she stared back into her almost empty mug as phrases from the other end floated back to her head.

'_I want a happy ending.'_

'_Who doesn't?'_

'_I want Rinoa to find one, you see.'_

'_You can't find one on your own. That's all I know…'_

'_Then… you'll help us?'_

'_Help… you?'_

'_Uh-huh!'_

'_If we think the same… maybe I can consider.'_

Jinsei emptied her mug and put it down. Still, she kept quiet. With her wings or otherwise, she wanted a happy ending for Rinoa. But somehow, her mind could not come up with one. It seemed to stop right there. And if it did try, it only wandered in darkness.

"_Engine Team, assembly in ten!"_

The loudspeakers. Jinsei lifted her head. She looked at the time as the voice over the loudspeakers repeated.

"_Engine Team, assembly in ten! Report to the main room immediately!"_

"Looks like you're wanted already," Zell said.

"Ah," Jinsei stood from her seat and slung the bag on her shoulder. "Looks like it. I'd better go."

"Well, take care then," Xu said. "We'll see you later."

Selphie grabbed hold of Jinsei's sleeve and pulled to catch her attention.

Jinsei turned to Selphie.

Selphie looked into Jinsei's eyes and nodded.

Jinsei stared at Selphie. She wondered why and what Selphie wanted to tell her but did not say a word. She did not bother look further. Somehow, the gesture itself had meant more than the words apt to describe it.

The playfulness quickly returned to Selphie's face. Then, releasing Jinsei's sleeve, she giggled and winked.

Jinsei laughed a little and shrugged as she turned to the path out.

"I take that as a 'yes'?" Selphie suddenly asked.

----------

"No. Maybe. I don't know," Rinoa answered, looking at the sky above Quistis and her as they walked back to the Garden. There seemed to be a strong degree of hesitation in her voice.

"No. Maybe. I don't know," Quistis echoed. "Perhaps 'I guess' is next?"

Rinoa giggled. Then, she tilted her head and sighed.

Quistis looked at Rinoa. There was reluctance. There was sadness. And there were a number of other emotions mixed in Rinoa, at least as far as Quistis could tell. Perhaps the question she had asked earlier might have hit the raven-haired lady in some way. Maybe she should not have asked. "I'm sorry," she then said.

Rinoa shook her head and smiled at Quistis. "Hey, you wanted me to be tough, remember?" she said.

Quistis turned from Rinoa and spoke not a word. Yes, she wanted Rinoa to be stronger and more independent and not to be too reliant of her gift. Discipline. Grounds. Limit. Difficulty. To Rinoa, these were part of cruelty, but to Quistis, these were part of turning her student into a more formidable SeeD Officer than she already was. But was that her only intention? Was it? Or was she doing all these only for her own sake?

"I get upset, mad or throw my temper," Rinoa said. "But I never forgot that it was all for me."

Quistis shook her head. "Sometimes, I overdo it. You don't see, but…" she paused and exhaled. "… I do."

"That's okay… I understand."

Quistis said nothing and simply focused on the road ahead. 'You don't understand, Rinoa,' she thought. 'You don't know.' She wanted to tell Rinoa how she felt and what she thought, about what was then, what is now, and what will be. But of all things she could do, even what seemed almost impossible, this just had to be the most difficult.

"Hey…"

"There will be a special event in Balamb Town next week," Quistis said after a quick thought to change the mood.

"I know. They told me," Rinoa said.

"Are you going with someone?" Quistis asked, suddenly having the urge to look up. Something seemed to be brewing off Balamb Coast. A dark cloud suddenly burst toward the sky. Black. Grey. Then, red began to set. 'Not again,' Quistis thought. She turned to Rinoa and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Well, I --- hey!"

"We have to get back, fast!" Quistis exclaimed as they began to rush back to the Garden.

----------

Blood trickled on the floor as Kingen pulled the piece of broken glass from her arm. The train had gone off-track during a sudden explosion, and she did not see any forewarning of it. None. A string of flashing events later, she found herself waking with a headache and piece of glass pierced into her arm. Kingen held to press the wound on her arm and looked about, stepping on broken pieces of glass and searching for casualties or fatalities.

"Are you all right?"

Kingen turned around as Ceres, unscathed but covered with dirt, approached her. "Just a scratch," she answered.

Ceres took her scarf off. "I saw you," she said, wrapping the scarf around Kingen's arm.

Kingen looked through the hole above her. The sky was dark with a strong tint of red. 'It's happened again,' she said, frowning. The sky has turned bloody red again, but aside from it and the possible danger that lay ahead, Kingen sensed something else. The longer she held her stare toward the sky, the more she felt it, the more the hurt in her head worsened.

"We were the only ones left in this car before the train was knocked off its track," Ceres said, neatly tying the scarf in place. "This should hold it until we get to the closest town." She lifted her head and saw the seriousness in Kingen's face. "Kingen?"

Kingen reached for her head and fell to her knees. Drops of sweat fell on the floor. The worsening pain in her head was now accompanied by the warning on her back as well. She reached for her collar.

Ceres lowered to Kingen and stopped her from reaching the blue and black band around her neck. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed while placing both hands on Kingen's shoulders.

Despite Ceres' action, Kingen reached for her collar's switch to turn it off. "We… have to get to Balamb… before the danger extends there…" she said. "They have come…"

"What?" Ceres asked. "Who?"

"Stay back," Kingen said and tilted her head. Her fists formed, pushing them against the floor. Her body was shaking. She closed her eyes tightly and gasped.

Ceres took another step back and turned her back.

The wind howled and faded out quickly. The car rocked a little as the roof sounded. Ceres lifted her head. There seemed to be someone standing on the roof.

"Stay there," Kingen blocked Ceres' way with her sword. "Show yourself!"

A brawny man with spiked brown and red-highlighted hair leaped into the hole, the solidness of his weight and the heaviness of his boots shaking the car a little. He wore a brown coat, with a patch on the pocket, over his dirty white undershirt. The left leg of his faded jeans has been ripped from the knee down. On one hand was an oversized hatchet. He pointed toward Kingen. "Meet your end," he said in a gruff voice and lifted his weapon.

----------

**NOTES:** _One bad result, four weeks, twelve Kannazuki no Miko episodes, and twenty-six Princess Tutu episodes later, I finally came up with this chapter. I made two versions of it, being the indecisive person I am. While conceptualizing, a few things came into my head. New ideas for my next fics… possibly, a site to contain them, since I still need to decide whether I should officially post them or not. Well, anyway, it'll take a long while before I start any of them, so 'til next time! _


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

'_Are you sure?'_

_Jinsei turned around._

_Master Lu cleared his throat. Fear... He could see much of it. But there was firmness. 'I know,' he said. 'If you feel unsure, then stay here.'_

_Jinsei shook her head. 'I can't let the danger reach this place.' _

_Master Lu simply frowned as he thought for a moment. Will he? Fear is fear. Fear triggers weakness. But fear is what sets courage from mere bravery. Finally, he gave Jinsei his consent._

'_If she asks, please don't tell her.'_

'_Very well, then.'_

_Jinsei courteously bowed. She turned around and opened the shaft. She stepped forward and turned around again as it closed…_

----------

The deep redness is slowly fading, but Master Lu's thoughts could not seem to rest as Jinsei had not gone back yet. "She wants you to stay put," the master said, sighing. "Why won't you?"

"Are you saying something, Master?" Selphie asked.

Master Lu shook his head.

"Jinsei isn't here, is she?"

"Ah," the master uttered meaningfully while stroking his chin.

"I know," Selphie said smilingly. "She'll be back."

Master Lu nodded. Indeed, she will be back. He believed so. "Tell me something," he said, again, stroking his chin. "How did you know?"

Selphie lifted her head toward the ceiling and back, the expression on her face turning a little serious. "I was with her when it happened one time," she answered. "When I asked her after a few days, she said she couldn't remember. Then, it happened again… and again. It was always the same."

"Really?"

Selphie nodded.

"She does now," Master Lu said. "And she knows why…"

"Master, why are they after Rinoa? Is there something wrong?"

"Ah," the master said. Indeed, something is very wrong. But who started it? He did not know.

"It's not a sorceress again, is it?"

"Perhaps… Perhaps not," was all he could say. Then, he set his eyes on Rinoa.

Selphie followed the master's stare and reached her hand to Rinoa's head. She put Rinoa into a very deep sleep using the technique Edea taught her sometime ago. "Once she wakes up, Jinsei will be here," Selphie said. "I just don't know how she'll take on the side effects, though…" She giggled. "You know I'm not as good as they are."

"Ah, yes, but well done," the master said gratefully. Selphie's immediate action saved him the trouble of having to explain.

Selphie turned to the old master and smiled back. "No problem!"

----------

The scroll crashed against the wall before falling to the rusty floor.

"I'm sorry," the old scribe in deep purple apologized.

There was someone seated on a platform before the scribe and covered by shadows. Dissatisfaction toward the old scribe's reported progress was shown by the intense and grotesque, deep red light that outlining the womanly and armored figure. "I want more answers!" An even more grotesque voice comparable to a number of voices combined echoed around the stone walls.

"As you wish," the old scribe bowed turned around. He raised his wooden staff, and the scroll flew to his hand. Then, he disappeared toward the darker area of the hall.

A woman in a white and red coat walked into the light. The official logo of Docendo Alki was on one sleeve while her rank was on the other. Her shoes sounded as she approached before the bottom step to the platform.

"Back so soon, Pleyria?"

"I only had to lose that car, didn't I?" Pleyria said.

"Did she see you?"

"No," Plevria answered. "She didn't…"

"Good."

A moment of silence followed.

"Mukei?" Plevria suddenly said.

"What is it?"

Plevria's sea green eyes turned to the floor for a while before turning them back to the platform where Mukei was seated. "Nothing." Her ears caught the sound of chains and heavy steps nearing them. She turned to her left and saw someone slowly emerging from the shadows.

"Tremo," Mukei said as the grotesque light intensified.

The brawny man in the stained and torn brown coat dragged his ax with him as blood trailed on the floor. There was a bad wound through his chest. He slowly approached the space beside Pleyria. He placed his ax on the floor as he knelt before Mukei and tilted his head.

Mukei noticed the large patch of blood on Tremo's shirt. "Where is she?"

Tremo took his ax as he stood. Nothing came out of him but a faint grunt. He lifted and tilted his head and shook it.

"Where is she?" Mukei repeated, now, in a very irritated tone and turned to Pleyria. "You knew what would happen…"

Pleyria tilted her head and took a step back as she knelt.

Tremo fell to the floor, the sound of his crashing ax echoing loudly around the stone walls.

----------

He was gone.

Jinsei put down her sword as the grey wings disappeared. A strong bout of fatigue struck her on her as she turned the collar back on. She fell to her knees and tipped her sword toward the car floor. 'He's gone,' she thought as she pressed the wound on her side and coughed to catch her breath. 'That light… could it…?' The light pierced her eyes as the powerfully built man in soiled and torn clothes disappeared before her. It seemed to remind her of what her mother used to tell her. It was not over. They have come, and that man could be just one of them. They? Who are they? Jinsei tightly gripped the sword for support as she stood. She raised her arm to wipe the sweat on her forehead before returning her sword. Again, she pressed the wound on her side.

"Are you all right?"

Jinsei turned around and flashed bittersweet smile at Kingen.

Kingen smiled back while Ceres supported her as she stood. She had been badly hurt by the ax as well.

"I should ask you that," Jinsei said. "Do you know who they are?"

"They?" Ceres wondered. "We only saw Tremo."

"Tremo…" Jinsei uttered. She fought him. She fought him, and he escaped. But she sensed he was not alone when he came. The feeling was too strong for her to be wrong. Someone else had been there aside from him. But who?

"Tremo was after --- " Kingen suddenly stopped and tilted her head. She was beginning to slip from Ceres.

Ceres heaved a little more of Kingen's weight on her. She put her put her fingers on Kingen's neck. "You saw someone else, didn't you?"

Jinsei shook her head. "I felt a form of energy when I got to the cart, but it was different from Tremo's. I thought you knew."

"This car was knocked off-track," Ceres explained. "I guess that explains it."

"Is Kingen ---"

Ceres nodded. "She's just unconscious," she answered. "Kingen needs urgent help, Jinsei." She huffed. "How long 'til they find us?"

Jinsei approached the two and placed Kingen's other arm on her shoulders. "Help isn't so far," she said as the sound of engines nearing entered her ears. "They're almost here." She turned to the broken windows and spotted headlights coming their way.

----------

**NOTES:** _My laptop crashed on me… T.T This chapter is the shortest so far, and I think it went way-off. Erm… concerning the outcome… I'll have to see. (Other Plans…) I'll try to upload a better chapter… Things are getting the best of me, but… I'll do better. 'Til next time!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Rain. It has been pouring since that morning. The gray clouds covered the sky more than half the day. It was early in the afternoon, but the absence of sunlight made it seem as if it was sunset.

"I didn't notice you'd burned yourself over that match with Tremo."

Jinsei glanced at Kingen, who sat comfortably on the bed just a distance from her, then stared back at her left arm. Releasing Suzaku caused a second-degree burn from her upper down to her lower arm down to her hand and fingers that her whole arm had been dressed. It was the first time she did so, and it was not surprising.

"If you're going to tell me they don't hurt, I won't believe you," Kingen said, chuckling inhibitedly because her wounded right side. "I know you too well, Jinsei. With words on hold just like that, it's obvious."

Jinsei sighed, holding her left side as she laughed. It hurt, just like the deep slash Tremo had given her. This was the side of not being a full-blooded _Haibane-jin_. She was still part human. This meant having to experience the different degrees of recovery. And these injuries… ranged from slow to moderate.

"Sometimes, I wish never you had a trace of human blood in you," Kingen said half-jokingly. "That way… it would've been much easier for the both of us."

"Tell that to Father, Kingen…" Jinsei said. "…if you can wake him…" She slowly raised her left to touch the glass that came between her and the dreariness outside. She lifted her head. The grayness of the clouds seemed to blend with her eyes. The rain seemed so endless. Endless, the word stuck to her mind. The endlessness of the rain and the seeming endlessness of Rinoa's tears. Rinoa. Just her name caused enough static to cause her neurons to function hyperactively at the same time. Like now. She wished it were much easier to say something, anything that would ease how she felt. But Jinsei believed that as long as Rinoa's distress was as endless as the rain, as long as she felt she was causing it… it was not worth it. Not one bit.

"The festivities were moved to next month because of the heavy rains on the forecast."

Jinsei nodded. Yes, the festivities. She has not forgotten. Selphie begged her to take part on it, just as everybody else in the Garden will be. She will be going. She will be going even if her reluctance measured up to her ears.

"Have someone to go with?"

Jinsei shrugged. Date. Yes, the date. That, she had forgotten. She still has a week or two or three to find one… Find one? Why would she find one? Why would she even bother? She never went on events like these, and she felt uneasy toward any of them. She had to say yes. She just had to. Now… she is regretting it more than ever. With all these thoughts adding up, she sighed heavily. "I don't… have someone…" she whispered.

"Sure you do…"

That voice. Jinsei snapped out of her thoughts just as a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, the degree of tightness increasing slowly. That scent. "R-Rinoa…?" she stuttered.

Rinoa hushed Jinsei as she rested her head against Jinsei's back. "Please…" she said.

Jinsei closed her eyes. The rate of Rinoa's warmth was as intense as the weather outside. Those arms always seemed to compel her to stay. And she would. She would follow. She would follow… force or no force.

"We'll go together," Rinoa said.

Go… together? The words echoed in Jinsei's head. She remembered Selphie telling her that someone has already asked Rinoa. Why was Rinoa asking her? Wait. Rinoa was not asking her. Neither was she commanding her. Nothing. She simply said they were going together. That was it. Period.

"Same place. I'll wait for you…" Rinoa said taking the space left between her and Jinsei.

And the heavy rain began to pour hard, hard enough, as if it were to drown any word that would come in-between.


End file.
